Tom Petranoff
Encyclopedia
Thomas Alan Petranoff (born April 8, 1958 in Aurora, Illinois
) is a former world record holder in the javelin throw
; his May 1983 effort was greater than the length of an entire American football
field at 99.72 meters (327'2"). Tom Petranoff's world record added precisely three meters to the previous global standard of 96.72, set in 1980 by Hungary's Ferenc Paragi
. Petranoff's prodigious effort fueled further discussion and speculation regarding the likelihood of alterations to the javelin's design and flight characteristics. Propelled by the need to shorten distances and the then frequent flat or ambiguous landings (which resulted in many controversial official judgements), a change to a new design finally took effect in April 1986. By then, East German Uwe Hohn
had shattered Petranoff's mark with an incredible throw of 104.80 meters. However, this only came after the changes had been officially proposed and (unlike Petranoff's record and contrary to a popular myth) had nothing to do with the change.
Petranoff's mark with the old javelin design was never exceeded by any throw other than Hohn's monster mark. He also did well with the new design; his personal best of 89.16, thrown at Potchefstroom, South Africa on March 1, 1991, was at the time the second best ever (excluding marks thrown with a soon illegalized "rough-tailed javelin" that had been introduced by Miklós Németh), behind only Steve Backley
's world record of 89.58, and as of 2009 has still only been exceeded by 12 throwers.
In 1984, Petranoff won The Superstars
championship with a record score of 61 points. He qualified for the United States Olympic Team, but finished a disappointing 9th in the final in Los Angeles.
A native of Illinois
, Petranoff later became a citizen of South Africa and competed for that country in various international competitions.
Petranoff is also the inventor of the "Turbo Javelin." This implement is used for javelin practice, especially of the indoor kind. Made of heavy duty plastic and a rubber tip, the turbo javelin is very safe and ideal for indoor practice, and makes a good substitute for younger throwers as the official javelin can be dangerous. It is now used in its own competitions for people of all ages and is great for recreation departments and much more. The world record holder with the turbo javelin is Breaux Greer
of the U.S.A.
Petranoff now lives in Rhode Island
; he has coached for institutions such as Boston University
.
Aurora, Illinois
Aurora is the second most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois, and the 112th largest city in the United States. A suburb of Chicago, located west of the Loop, its population in 2010 was 197,899. Originally founded within Kane County, Aurora's city limits have expanded greatly over the past...
) is a former world record holder in the javelin throw
Javelin throw
The javelin throw is a track and field athletics throwing event where the object to be thrown is the javelin, a spear approximately 2.5 metres in length. Javelin is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon...
; his May 1983 effort was greater than the length of an entire American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
field at 99.72 meters (327'2"). Tom Petranoff's world record added precisely three meters to the previous global standard of 96.72, set in 1980 by Hungary's Ferenc Paragi
Ferenc Paragi
Ferenc Paragi is a 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 Miklós Németh at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal.This effort added more than two meters to the previous world record,...
. Petranoff's prodigious effort fueled further discussion and speculation regarding the likelihood of alterations to the javelin's design and flight characteristics. Propelled by the need to shorten distances and the then frequent flat or ambiguous landings (which resulted in many controversial official judgements), a change to a new design finally took effect in April 1986. By then, East German Uwe Hohn
Uwe Hohn
Uwe Hohn is a German athlete and coach. Hohn was the only athlete to throw a javelin more than 100 meters....
had shattered Petranoff's mark with an incredible throw of 104.80 meters. However, this only came after the changes had been officially proposed and (unlike Petranoff's record and contrary to a popular myth) had nothing to do with the change.
Petranoff's mark with the old javelin design was never exceeded by any throw other than Hohn's monster mark. He also did well with the new design; his personal best of 89.16, thrown at Potchefstroom, South Africa on March 1, 1991, was at the time the second best ever (excluding marks thrown with a soon illegalized "rough-tailed javelin" that had been introduced by Miklós Németh), behind only Steve Backley
Steve Backley
Stephen James Backley OBE is a retired British athlete who was formerly the world record holder for javelin throwing...
's world record of 89.58, and as of 2009 has still only been exceeded by 12 throwers.
In 1984, Petranoff won The Superstars
Superstars
Superstars is an all-around sports competition that pits elite athletes from different sports against one another in a series of athletic events resembling a decathlon....
championship with a record score of 61 points. He qualified for the United States Olympic Team, but finished a disappointing 9th in the final in Los Angeles.
A native of Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Petranoff later became a citizen of South Africa and competed for that country in various international competitions.
Petranoff is also the inventor of the "Turbo Javelin." This implement is used for javelin practice, especially of the indoor kind. Made of heavy duty plastic and a rubber tip, the turbo javelin is very safe and ideal for indoor practice, and makes a good substitute for younger throwers as the official javelin can be dangerous. It is now used in its own competitions for people of all ages and is great for recreation departments and much more. The world record holder with the turbo javelin is Breaux Greer
Breaux Greer
Breaux Greer is a male American javelin thrower. He is an eight time American Champion and American record holder for the javelin with a throw of 91.29 meters, achieved on June 21, 2007 during the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Indianapolis...
of the U.S.A.
Petranoff now lives in Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
; he has coached for institutions such as Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
.
Achievements
Representing the  USA |
||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | Olympic Games | Los Angeles, United States | 10th | 78.40 m |
| 1987 | World Championships | Rome, Italy | 4th | 81.28 m |
| 1988 | Olympic Games | Seoul, South Korea | 18th | 77.48 m |
| Representing | ||||
| 1992 | African Championships | ?, ? | 1st | ??.?? m |
| 1993 | World Championships 1993 World Championships in Athletics - Men's Javelin These are the official results of the Men's Javelin Throw event at the 1993 World Championships in Stuttgart, Germany. There were a total of 47 participating athletes, with the final held on Monday August 16, 1993. All results were made with rough surfaced javelin... |
Stuttgart, Germany | 22nd | 75.26 m |
| African Championships | ?, ? | 1st | ??.?? m | |