Ferenc Paragi

Ferenc Paragi (born 1953-08-21) is the Hungarian athlete who, on April 23 1980, established a world record of 96.72 in the javelin throw; eclipsing the global standard set by fellow countryman Miklos Nemeth at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. Paragi's prodigious effort added more than two meters to the previous world record; fueling discussion and speculation regarding the likelihood of alterations to the javelin's design and flight characteristics.

Proposed changes would finally take effect in 1986 - following two sizable improvements to the javelin world record; the first coming in 1983 and once more in 1984, when East German Uwe Hohn launched the 800 gram implement 104.80 meters – "nearly 344 feet".

Paragi competed at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow; he led the competition through the qualifying round, with a throw of 88.75 meters. Two days later, in the finals, Paragi could do no better than 79.52 - for a tenth place finish. Paragi's world record remained on the books until May 15, 1983, when Tom Petranoff of the United States added precisely three meters to Paragi's mark – for a new world record of 99.72 meters.

References

* [http://koti.welho.com/mrasilai/index.htm Olympic Javelin Statistics]