Eric Lemming

Eric Lemming was the first of the great modern javelin throwers. He was Olympic javelin champion in 1906, 1908 and 1912, winning both the orthodox and freestyle event in 1908. He would almost certainly have been the champion in 1900 had the javelin been on the program but, in the absence of his speciality event, he competed in six other field events, placing fourth in the pole vault and the hammer. In 1906, he also won bronze medals in the shot, pentathlon and tug-of-war. As a 19-year-old, Lemming set a world javelin best of 49.32 metres (161’10”) in 1899 and made 13 further improvements to the record, culminating with a mark of 62.32 metres (204’5”) in 1912 which was later accepted as the first official International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) record.

Personal Bests: HJ – 1.70 (1900); PV – 3.20 (1900); LJ – 6.34 (1906); TJ – 12.72 (1903); SP – 13.10 (1918); DT – 44.90 (1917); HT – 46.84 (1917); JT – 62.32 (1912).