Klaus Tafelmeier of West Germany Sets World Best in Javelin Throw

Klaus Tafelmeier of West Germany, the 1986 European champion in the javelin, set a world best of 281 feet 3 inches, Sunday, in an international meet in Como, Italy.

Tom Petranoff of the United States set the old world best of 280-1 earlier this year on July 7 in Helsinki, Finland.

At the present time there is no official world record for the men’s javelin because of a design change introduced in 1986 by the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF), the world governing body for track and field.

The new-style javelin has a slightly fatter circumference and a center of gravity that is closer to the tip. This has resulted in significantly shorter throws.

The world record with the old-style javelin was 343-10 by Uwe Hohn of East Germany in 1985. An official record is to be established within two years by the IAAF.