Not content with his recent attempts at mastering the Olympic sports of discus, hammer throw and shot put, world-class strongman Eddie Hall has now turned his attention to the javelin throw. While the strength of his throwing arm isn’t in question, his mobility and accuracy are less established—although he has improved in these areas over the last year, leaning down and becoming faster and more agile through his boxing training ahead of his long-awaited showdown in the ring with rival strongman Hafthor Bjornsson.
Men’s Health
In the latest video on his YouTube channel, Hall acquires a 700-gram javelin and spends the afternoon working on his technique, setting himself the lofty goal of surpassing (or at the very least nearing) the record distance for javelin throw.
The current world record in the male category was set during the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Georgia by Czech track and field athlete Jan Železný, with a distance of 98.48 meters. The women’s world record, meanwhile, is 72.28 meters, and was set by Barbora Špotáková, also a Czech athlete, at the 2000 World Athletics Final in Germany.
“I am worried about this, because obviously I’ve got no bicep on this [right] arm,” says Hall, explaining to viewers that he detached the long head of his bicep in 2018. His first throw is “terrible” by his own admission, clearing no further than 22 meters.
“Because it’s so long, you can’t just treat it like you’re throwing a ball, you have to keep your arm straight,” he says. “The restriction of being a bit muscle-bound is hard, it’s hard just to generate the power and get the right levers. Winning World’s Strongest Man, moving from A to B, fine, but transferring that strength into something a bit more functional is proving to be very, very tough… I think I’ll struggle to break 40 meters with this.”
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On his second attempt, Hall runs up towards the throw in an effort to build some momentum, and does his best to mimic Železný’s technique. These adjustments pay off, and this time he achieves a throwing distance of 37 meters. “I’m not sure I can do much more than that,” he says. “That’s really hurt my arm.”
His final, longest throw of the day reaches 39.3 meters; still a good 30+ meters shy of the women’s world record. “I’m very pleased with myself,” he concludes. “Javelin is obviously not made for the bigger man, as you can see.”
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