Americans in the Throwing Events Quiz

Answer: Hammer Throw

Harold and Olga finally married in 1957 after after the Communist government finally allowed her to emigrate. She later competed in four additional Olympic games for the United States. Connolly won the gold medal in the hammer throw at the 1956 Olympic Games.

He was a member of four Olympic teams. From 1956 to 1965, he held the world record and during that time, and broke his own record six times.

Answer: Discus

One of the most famous of throwing events athletes, Oerter won four consecutive gold medals in the discus (1956, 1960, 1964, 1968) and broke the Olympic record each time. He held the world record on two different occasions, and also won the Gold medal at the 1959 Pan American Games.

Answer: Shot Put

Matson was one of the most successful United States shot-putters ever. He won the silver medal at the Olympics in 1964 and gold in 1968. He held the world record from 1965 to 1973. During one six-year stretch, he entered 79 competitions and won 73. He was the first man to throw over 70'.

Answer: Discus

Silvester was a four-time Olympian, winning a silver medal in 1972. He broke the world record four times and held it from 1968 to 1975. He was the first man to throw 60 meters and over his years of competition, raised the world record by more than 30 feet.

Answer: Javelin

Roggy was a young shining star for the United States in the javelin. He was the country's top ranked thrower four times in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Roggy was ranked number one in the world during 1982 with a throw of 314'4". Tragically, he died in 1986 when he fell out of a truck bed at a meet, striking his head on the pavement.

Answer: Javelin

Petranoff set a world record in 1983 of 327'2" which was more than ten feet further than the old record. Because of the incredible distance, this throw led to the design of a modified javelin that wouldn't travel as far.

Answer: Hammer Throw

Deal's silver medal at the 1996 Olympics was the first medal for an American since Harold Connolly's gold in 1956. Deal was a four-time Olympian and won the gold medal in the 1995 and 1999 Pan American Games.

Answer: Shot Put

Woods was a three-time Olympian, winning the silver medal in 1968 and 1972. He was particularly successful in the indoor shot put. In 1974, he threw a world indoor record of 72'3" that stood for eleven years. Woods was a four-time indoor U.S. champion.

Answer: Discus

Gordien was a member of the 1948, 1952 and 1956 Olympic teams, winning the bronze in 1948 and the silver in 1956. He also held the world record from 1949 to 1959. Gordien also won the gold medal at the 1955 Pan American Games.

Answer: Javelin

While Russ Francis is more well-known for his football career with the New England Patriots and San Francisco 49ers, he also set a high school javelin record in 1971 at 259'9", a record that stood for 17 years.

Answer: Discus

A former world record holder, he won the bronze medal in 1976 and 1984. He also won the gold medal at the 1975 Pan American Games. Powell was also a seven-time United States National Champion.

Answer: Hammer Throw

Backus was a member of the 1952 Olympic team. He won the gold medal at the 1955 Pan American Games and bronze in 1959. However, his specialty was the 56 pound and 35 pound weight throws. Backus won seven consecutive national champions (1953-1959) in the 56 pound weight and another seven in the 35 pound weight.

Answer: Shot Put

Feuerbach was a member of the 1972 and 1976 Olympic teams and held the world record from 1973 to 1976. He also was a member of the 1980 team that was denied the opportunity to compete in the Olympics. He dominated the American shot put scene during the 1970s and won the gold medal at the 1971 Pan American Games.

Answer: Javelin

Greer is an eight time United States national champion. He set the American record of 91.29 meters in 2007 and has been a member of three Olympic teams. That throw earned him the best javelin throw of the year in 2007.

Answer: Hammer Throw

Burke had a long and succesful career, appearing in three Olympic games (1964, 1968 and 1984). He threw his personal best of 243'11" in 1984 at the age of 44, an American record at the time. He set a world record at the master's level in 2006 in the over-65 division.

Answer: Shot Put

In the 1950s, Parry O'Brien invented the "glide" style of throwing. It revolutionized the sport and during his career, O'Brien broke the world record 17 times. He had a streak of 116 consecutive victories, was the first man to throw 60', and won 18 national championships. O'Brien held the world record from 1953 until 1959.

He was a member of four Olympic teams, winning gold in 1952 and 1956, and silver in 1960.

Answer: Javelin

Pukstys was a two-time Olympian (1992 and 1996) and former American record holder. He also set the United States Junior record of 234'1" while in high school. Pukstys was also a six-time national champion.

Answer: Shot Put

Oldfield developed the spin technique of the shot put that is now the most commonly used style. He was a member of the 1972 Olympic team and shortly after, became the most prominent athlete to join the new professional track and field league. He set numerous world records both outdoor and indoor but none were officially recognized because of his competing in the professional circuit.

In 1975, his throw of 75' demolished the existing world record. After the professional track league folded, Oldfield was eventually reinstated and at the age of 38, he set an official world record of 72'9".

Answer: Discus

Wilkins was a three-time Olympian (1976, 1980 and 1984), winning the gold medal in 1976 and silver in 1984. He won the gold medal at the 1979 Pan American Games and held the world record from 1976 until 1978.

Answer: Hammer Throw

Hall was a four-time Olympian and the first person to ever win a gold medal at the Pan American Games in three different decades (1959, 1963 and 1971). He was also a 16-time All-American, two-time United States hammer champion, and four-time 35 pound weight champion. He held the world record for a short time in the weight throw.