What are the javelin and its runway?
Officials' detail · The throw · 2 of 3The men's javelin weighs 800 g and is at least 2.6 m long. The women's weighs 600 g and is at least 2.2 m long. Each has a shaft, a metal head and a cord grip. The runway is 4 m wide and at least 30 m long. An athlete's own javelin may be allowed if it is certified and checked.
How it works
| Category | Weight | Length |
|---|---|---|
| Men, including under-20 | 800 g | 2.60 to 2.70 m |
| Under-18 men | 700 g | 2.40 to 2.50 m |
| Women, including under-20 | 600 g | 2.20 to 2.30 m |
| Under-18 women | 500 g | 2.00 to 2.10 m |
- Three parts: "a shaft, a head and a cord grip". The weight includes the grip.
- The shaft: solid or hollow, of metal or other suitable material, smooth, with no dimples, grooves, ridges or holes.
- The head: metal, ending in a sharp point.
- The grip: cord, covering the centre of gravity, of even thickness, with no thongs, notches or dents.
- No moving parts: the javelin may have nothing that could shift its centre of gravity or change how it flies during the throw.
- The runway: two white lines 4 m apart. The least length is 30 m, and 33.5 m at the top competitions. Where there is room it should be 36.5 m.
- The arc: a white strip at least 70 mm wide, part of a circle with a radius of 8 m, level with the ground.
- The end lines: white lines at least 0.75 m long running outwards from each end of the arc.
- The four-metre line: a line across the runway 4 m back from the ends of the arc, painted or shown by markers, used for judging when the athlete has left.
- Whose javelin: the organisers provide them. The technical delegates may let athletes use their own, or ones from a supplier, if they are World Athletics certified, checked and marked before the competition and made available to every athlete.
- How many: normally no more than two of an athlete's own for an event.
- No changes: "No modification shall be made to any implements during the competition."
Tricky cases
Can an athlete throw their own javelin?
It depends on the competition. The technical delegates may allow it if the implement is World Athletics certified and has been checked and marked beforehand. It then has to be available to all the athletes.
Can another athlete use an implement that someone else brought?
Yes. An athlete's own implement is accepted on the condition that it is made available to all.
Do men and women throw the same javelin?
No. The men's is 800 g and at least 2.60 m long. The women's is 600 g and at least 2.20 m long.
Can a javelin have a weight that slides inside the shaft?
No. It may have no mobile parts that could change its centre of gravity or its flight.
Why the rule exists
A throwing result means something only if everyone threw the same thing from the same place, so the rules fix the weight and shape to the millimetre and let only certified implements in. Making an approved javelin available to every athlete stops anyone gaining from equipment the others cannot use.
Where it differs
| Where | What changes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| World Athletics rules | As above | TR 32.1 to 32.3; TR 32.9; TR 38.5 to 38.13 |
| Runway slope | No more than 1 in 100 sideways and 1 in 1,000 downhill over the last 20 m | TR 32.9 |
| Older javelins | An implement that once held a World Athletics certificate may be accepted if it meets the rules | TR 32.2 commentary |
| Number of own implements | The technical delegates may allow more than two | TR 32.2 |
From the rule book
World Athletics, Competition and Technical Rules, 2026 Edition, Technical Rules 32.1 to 32.3, 32.9 and 38.5 to 38.13, with the figures printed beside them. Checked 14 October 2026. Official document: World Athletics Competition and Technical Rules 2026 (PDF).