Theclub throw is anathletic throwing event where the objective is to throw a wooden club. The event is one of the four throwing events, along withdiscus,javelin andshot put of theSummer Paralympics. It is the Paralympic equivalent of thehammer throw.[1] The club throw was introduced for both men and women at the first1960 Summer Paralympic Games. It was dropped from the women's programme from the1992 Paralympics inBarcelona but was reinstated forLondon 2012.
Like other throwing events, the competition is decided by who can throw the club the farthest, though when the event is contested by athletes ofdifferent disability classifications, such as the Paralympics, the result is decided by a points score using theRaza Points System which considers athletes' relative levels of disability. The club for men and women weighs a minimum of 397 grams (14.0 oz) and is normally made from wood with a metal base.[2] The athlete sits in a frame in a throwing area which is within a marked circle between 2.135 and 2.50 metres (7 ft 0 in and 8 ft 2 in) in diameter. The frame is common for each competitor and is rigid.[2] The sport is contested at the Paralympics by athletes in the F31, F32 and F51 classes (individuals with the most significant impairment in hand function).
As of 2017[update] the world record for the men's club in the 32 class is held byMaciej Sochal, who threw 37.19 metres (122 ft 0 in) at the2016 IPC Athletics European Championships. The men's record in the 51 class is held byŽeljko Dimitrijević, who recorded a distance of 31.99 metres (104 ft 11 in) at the2017 World Para Athletics Championships.[3][4]
As of 2017[update] the world record for the women's club in the 32 class is held byMaroua Ibrahmi, who threw 26.93 metres (88 ft 4 in) at the2016 Summer Paralympics. The women's record in the 51 class is held by America'sRachael Morrison, who recorded a distance of 23.82 metres (78 ft 2 in) inClaremont, CA on 8 April 2017.[3]
| Games | Location | Open to | Gold | Class | Distance (points) | Silver | Class | Distance (points) | Bronze | Class | Distance (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1984 | New York, United States | 1A |  Bart Dodson (USA) | 1A | 23.54 |  Franicsco de las Fuentes (MEX) | 1A | 21.44 | S. Wilkins (USA) | 1A | 21.12 |
| 1988 | Seoul, South Korea | 1A |  Edund Weber (FRG) | 1A | 23.44 |  Jose Danile Haylan (ARG) | 1A | 18.28 |  Paolo D'Agostini (ITA) | 1A | 17.50 |
| 1992 | Barcelona, Spain | C6 |  Dae Kwan Kim (KOR) | C6 | 51.58WR |  Keith Gardner (GBR) | C6 | 43.78 |  S. Da Costa Neto (BRA) | C6 | 43.50 |
| 1996 | Atlanta, United States | F50 | Stephen Miller (GBR) | F50 | 25.84WR | James Richardson (GBR) | F50 | 22.75 | Aaron Little (USA) | F50 | 20.65 |
| 2000 | Sydney, Australia | F51 | Stephen Miller (GBR) | F51 | 27.74 |  Takefumi Anryo (JPN) | F51 | 26.88 |  Ahmed Kamal (BRN) | F51 | 26.08 |
| 2004 | Athens, Greece | F32/F51 | Stephen Miller (GBR) | F32 | 33.53 (1133) |  Radim Beles (CZE) | F51 | 25.44 (993) |  Karim Betina (ALG) | F32 | 29.17 (986) |
| 2008 | Beijing, China | F32/F51 |  Mourad Idoudi (TUN) | F32 | 35.77 (1125)WR | Stephen Miller (GBR) | F32 | 34.37 (1081) | Jan Vanek (CZE) | F51 | 25.29 (1063) |
| 2012 | London, United Kingdom | F31/32/51 |  Željko Dimitrijević (SRB) | F51 | 26.88 (1010) | Radim Běleš (CZE) | F51 | 26.67 (1004) | Lahouari Bahlaz (ALG) | F32 | 36.31 (1003) |
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | F32 |  Maciej Sochal (POL) | F32 | 33.91 |  Athanasios Konstantinidis (GRE) | F32 | 33.69 | Stephen Miller (GBR) | F32 | 31.93 |
| F51 | Zeljko Dimitrijevic (SRB) | F51 | 29.96WR | Milos Mitic (SRB) | F51 | 26.84 |  Marián Kuřeja (SVK) | F51 | 26.82 | ||
| 2020 | Tokyo, Japan | F32 |  Liu Li (CHN) | F32 | 45.39WR | Athanasios Konstantinidis (GRE) | F32 | 38.68 | Walid Ferhah (ALG) | F32 | 35.34 |
| F51 |  Musa Taimazov (RPC) | F51 | 35.42WR | Željko Dimitrijević (SRB) | F51 | 35.29 | Marián Kuřeja (SVK) | F51 | 30.66 |
| Games | Location | Open to | Gold | Class | Distance (points) | Silver | Class | Distance (points) | Bronze | Class | Distance (points) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | Rome, Italy | A | Maria Scutti (ITA) | A | 19.10 | Anna Maria Galimberti (ITA) | A | 17.82 |  Manette Berger-Waldenegg (AUT) | A | 17.32 |
| B | Maria Scutti (ITA) | B | 20.07 |  Marlene Muhlendyck (FRG) | B | 19.42 | Anna Maria Galimberti (ITA) | B | 19.11 | ||
| C | Zander (FRG) | C | 26.62 |  Daphne Ceeney (AUS) | C | 21.11 | Maria Scutti (ITA) | C | 20.21 | ||
| 2012 | London, United Kingdom | F31/32/51 | Maroua Ibrahmi (TUN) | F32 | 23.43WR | Mounia Gasmi (ALG) | F32 | 22.51 | Gemma Prescott (GBR) | F32 | 20.50 |
| 2016 | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | F31/32 | Maroua Ibrahmi (TUN) | F32 | 26.93WR | Mounia Gasmi (ALG) | F32 | 25.41 | Gemma Prescott (GBR) | F32 | 19.77 |
| F51 | Joanna Butterfield (GBR) | F51 | 22.81WR |  Zoia Ovsii (UKR) | F51 | 22.21 | Cassie Mitchell (USA) | F51 | 21.84 | ||
| 2020 | Tokyo, Japan | F32 | Róża Kozakowska (POL) | F32 | 28.74WR | Anastasiia Moskalenko (UKR) | F32 | 24.73 | Mounia Gasmi (ALG) | F32 | 23.29 |