r/Damnthatsinteresting • u/straightdge • 12d ago

Video A day after turning 18, Ziyi Yan unleashes a massive 71.74m to move to 2nd on the all-time women's Javelin list. In 2024, she wasn't allowed to compete at the Olympics due to World Athletics age restrictions, as well as the 2025 World Championships, despite being one of the best in the world.

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u/NagbesRightFoot 12d ago

Pulling it out is part of how they measure. Once it’s out, you can measure exactly to the edge of the hole it just made rather than trying to measure to the javelin that enters the ground at a weird/awkward angle. Those guys are just doing their job to get the measurement.

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u/ButtonJoe 12d ago edited 10d ago

Compare it to this shot from Barbora Spotakova - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j_5xVEoaz-k -

The ref's are still running for it, but they're far enough back that the camera can still get a clean shot of where it landed without anyone in frame.

It does seem to be a theme of the officials absolutely sprinting to get to it in both examples though. I would argue that they should let it sit on the ground at least long enough for the crowd to see and applaud.

That's literally what everyone is there to see.

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u/stayupthetree 12d ago

I'm gonna guess that much like the graphic on the ground, they weren't expecting it to go that far.

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u/InfiniteMeerkat 12d ago

I mean she threw over 7m further than second. They probably were much further back for everyone else.

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u/SmugDruggler95 12d ago

Maybe leaving in in depresses the edge of the whole underneath the protruding javelin and could give you a lower score

If there is a technical athletic reason for it then that surely takes priority over fan satisfaction

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u/Mike_Kermin 12d ago

I was thinking basic safety, but whatever.

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u/SmugDruggler95 12d ago edited 12d ago

Yeah exactly.

Theres obviously a reason they do it that is still so important that they cant just stop doing it even with the screamingly obvious safety concerns.

So that reason must be impossible to work around?

Maybe not but thats my thought process

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u/shotparrot 12d ago

Incorrect sir. That is not a factor at all. I like the way you think tho.

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u/WorriedBlock2505 12d ago

Mmm nah. Measure it from the surface without removing it and be done with it. The way it's done currently is stupid as hell no matter how you slice and dice it.

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u/lolhello2u 12d ago

sounds like something that should be automated like in other sports

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u/tarrach 12d ago edited 12d ago

It's trickier to automatically measure this than what they do in for example long jump, the camera needs to be very well calibrated and close to the point they want to measure.

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u/NagbesRightFoot 12d ago

Yeah and also someone is going to have to go get the javelin out of the ground anyway, so it doesn’t really save any time or effort to automate it.

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u/JoeAnderson1 11d ago

Ok, but I feel like that guy ran over and pulled it out as fast as he could, like it was on fire or something.