Laslo Babits

Of Hungarian ancestry, Laslo Babits took up track and field athletics in high school and specialized in the javelin throw. His prowess in the sport earned him a scholarship to Washington State University, which he entered in 1978. His most notable results with the school at the NCAA Men’s Indoor Track and Field Championship were second place in the javelin in 1982 (behind Brian Crouser) and sixth place in 1983. He first represented Canada on the international stage at the 1982 Commonwealth Games, where he won a silver medal in the javelin behind Mike O’Rourke of New Zealand. He was 16th in the event at the 1983 World Championships, but took gold at that year’s Pan American Games. He graduated from Washington State in 1984, shortly before his appearance at the Summer Olympics. His eighth-place finish is, as of 2012, the best result for a Canadian javelin thrower at the Games.

Babits went into semi-retirement in the late-1980s, but re-emerged in an attempt in qualify for the 1992 Summer Olympics. When he was unable to raise sufficient funds for proper training, he set his sights on the 1996 edition, but a car accident ended his athletic career for good. In 1989 he began collecting the autographs of everyone he met and, later in life, was known for his attempts to establish a Guinness World Record for the most autographs collected by an individual. His health began to deteriorate in 2001, when he suffered mushroom poisoning and required a new liver. This liver, and another, eventually failed and he died in June 2013.

Personal Best: JT – 86.90 (1984).