The men's discus throw at the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, California had an entry list of 20 competitors from 14 nations, with two qualifying groups before the final (12) took place on August 10, 1984. The maximum number of athletes per nation had been set at 3 since the 1930 Olympic Congress. The event was won by Rolf Danneberg of West Germany, the nation's first medal in the men's discus throw and the first victory by any German athlete in the event (East Germany had won two silvers, neither pre-war Germany nor the United Team had won any medals). Mac Wilkins and John Powell of the United States won silver and bronze; they were the eighth and ninth men to win multiple discus throw medals (both had medaled in 1976). The United States continued its 19-Games streak of earning at least one medal every time it appeared, missing the podium only in the boycotted 1980 Games; however, this would be the last Games in that streak—and, in fact, the last medals the United States would earn in the event through at least 2020.

Background

This was the 20th appearance of the event, which is one of 12 athletics events to have been held at every Summer Olympics. None of the finalists from the 1980 Games returned, mainly due to the Soviet-led boycott. The 1980 silver medalist Imrich Bugár of Czechoslovakia had won the first world championships in 1983, as well as the 1982 European championships; bronze medalist Luis Delís of Cuba was the 1983 Pan American champion; and fifth-place finisher Yuriy Dumchev of the Soviet Union set the world record in 1983. In their absence, the home nation American team was favored.

The Bahamas, Egypt, Mauritius, and Samoa each made their debut in the men's discus throw. The United States made its 19th appearance, most of any nation, having missed only the boycotted 1980 Games.

Competition format

The competition used the two-round format introduced in 1936, with the qualifying round completely separate from the divided final. In qualifying, each athlete received three attempts; those recording a mark of at least 62.00 metres advanced to the final. If fewer than 12 athletes achieved that distance, the top 12 would advance. The results of the qualifying round were then ignored. Finalists received three throws each, with the top eight competitors receiving an additional three attempts. The best distance among those six throws counted.Official Report, vol. 2, p. 288.

Records

Prior to the competition, the existing world and Olympic records were as follows.

No new world or Olympic records were set during the competition.

Schedule

All times are Pacific Daylight Time (UTC-7)

Date Time Round Wednesday, 8 August 1984 9:30 Qualifying Friday, 10 August 1984 17:30 Final

Results

Qualifying round

The qualifying round was held on August 8, 1984.

Rank Athlete Nation123 Distance Notes 1 Mac Wilkins 60.5465.86 — 65.86 2 Rolf Danneberg 59.6663.48 — 63.48 3 Luciano Zerbini 63.44 — — 63.44 4 John Powell 62.92 — — 62.92 5 Stefan Fernholm X62.84 — 62.84 6 Art Burns 62.60 — — 62.60 7 Erik de Bruin 60.7661.0661.56 61.56 8 Alwin Wagner X61.56 X 61.56 9 Kostas Georgakopoulos 60.7460.6660.94 60.94 10 Robert Weir X X60.92 60.92 11 Knut Hjeltnes 60.8059.32 X 60.80 12 Marco Martino 59.58 60.76 X 60.76 13 Werner Hartmann 57.9059.8859.92 59.92 14 Robert Gray 56.3856.6259.34 59.34 15 Richard Slaney 56.0256.7857.66 57.66 16 Bradley Cooper X52.0653.70 53.70 17 Henry Smith 51.2850.9451.90 51.90 18 Dominique Béchard 39.8441.1040.24 41.10 — Mohamed Naguib Hamed X — — No mark — Vésteinn Hafsteinsson 59.02 55.98 59.58 59.58 Vésteinn Hafsteinsson finished seventh at 59.98 metres, but was subsequently disqualified as his doping test proved positive. — Marco Bucci

Final

Rank Athlete Nation 1 2 3 4 5 6 Distance Rolf Danneberg 64.74 X63.64 66.60 X66.2266.60 Mac Wilkins 65.96 X65.20 X 66.30 X66.30 John Powell 64.6863.3464.1264.0665.14 65.46 65.46 4 Knut Hjeltnes 64.7262.40 65.2863.7862.5064.3265.28 5 Art Burns 63.72 X X X63.32 64.98 64.98 6 Alwin Wagner 61.8262.7662.7063.9461.16 64.72 64.72 7 Luciano Zerbini 60.1861.14 63.50 X X60.1463.50 8 Stefan Fernholm 63.08 X62.20 63.2262.2059.8263.22 9 Erik de Bruin 56.88 62.3260.10 Did not advance 62.32 10 Robert Weir 59.86 61.36 X Did not advance 61.36 11 Kostas Georgakopoulos X59.16 60.30 Did not advance 60.30 — Marco Martino X X X Did not advance No mark

See also 1982 Men's European Championships Discus Throw (Athens) 1983 Men's World Championships Discus Throw (Helsinki) 1984 Men's Friendship Games Discus Throw (Moscow) 1986 Men's European Championships Discus Throw (Stuttgart) 1987 Men's World Championships Discus Throw (Rome)

References

External links Results