1982 European Athletics Championships men's javelin throw final

[stanante]

Why were the competitions so much more dynamic back then. Is it the old jav that caused so much more variation in distances from throw to throw? Current competitions seem to bland by comparison.

[NemethJavelins]

@stanante Yes, the old jav was much trickier to throw with. Unlike today's javelins, the old rule javelin had a very nice flight - if you did everything correctly. On the other hand, one little mistake and your results were seriously hurt.

Not to mention the weather conditions, which affected the javelin's flight much more seriously.