Jan Železný: Widely considered the greatest javelin thrower in history, Železný from the Czech Republic holds the world record with a throw of 98.48 meters and has won three Olympic gold medals (1992, 1996, 2000) and one silver (1988).
Andreas Thorkildsen: A Norwegian thrower, Thorkildsen won back-to-back Olympic gold medals in 2004 and 2008, and holds multiple European and World Championship titles.
Steve Backley: A British javelin thrower, Backley won two Olympic silver medals (1996, 2000) and one bronze (1992), and is a four-time European Champion and two-time World Championship silver medalist.
Tero Pitkämäki: From Finland, Pitkämäki won the World Championship gold in 2007, along with multiple other international medals, including Olympic bronze in 2008.
Keshorn Walcott: A Trinidadian athlete who won a surprise gold medal at the 2012 Olympics at just 19 years old, becoming one of the youngest Olympic champions in javelin history.
Julius Yego: Known as the "YouTube Man" for learning his technique from online videos, Yego from Kenya won the World Championship gold in 2015 and an Olympic silver in 2016.
Zdzisław Krzyszkowiak: A Polish thrower who set multiple world records in the 1950s and is remembered for his powerful and consistent performances.
Uwe Hohn: The only javelin thrower to throw over 100 meters, Hohn from East Germany achieved this feat in 1984 with a throw of 104.80 meters, leading to changes in javelin design for safety reasons.
Seppo Räty: Another great Finnish thrower, Räty won multiple World Championship medals, including gold in 1987, and Olympic bronze medals in 1988 and 1992.