Discus throwing has always been one of the great American specialties. The world's first record-holder in this event was the American James Duncan who, in 1912, achieved a throw of 47.58 m with a discus weighing 2 kg. Until the 1908 Games in London, the discus weighed only 1.923 kg.

The United States figures more than any other nation both in the list of world record-holders and in the Olympic tables. But over the years the occasional breach in a seemingly impenetrable wall of victories has been made by a few outstanding Old World discus throwers: the Finns Armas Taipale and Elmer Nicklander for example, who were Olympic champions in 1912 and 1920 respectively, though neither came near to breaking Duncan's world record; and there was the Italian Adolfo Consolini, Olympic champion in 1948 and three times world record-holder; and nearer our own time, there has been the Russian Vladimir Trusseniev. Finally, there was also the Czech Ludvik Danek, whose name was added to the Olympic honors list in 1972 in succession to that of the extraordinary Al Oerter who had won the gold medal four times consecutively between 1956 and 1968 - a unique feat.

CHRONOLOGY OF THE WORLD RECORD
47.58m J. Duncan USA 5/27/1912
47.61m T. Lieb USA 9/4/1924
47.89m G.Hartranft USA 5/2/1925
48.20m C. Houser USA 4/3/1926
49.90m E.Krenz USA 3/9/1929
51.03m E.Krenz USA 5/17/1930
51.73m P. Jessup USA 8/23/1930
52.42m H. Andersson SWE 8/25/1934
53.10m W. Schroeder GER 4/28/1935
53.26m A. Harris USA 6/20/1941
53.34m A. Consolini ITA 10/26/1941
54.23m A. Consolini ITA 4/14/1946
54.93m R. Fitch USA 6/8/1946
55.33m A. Consolini ITA 10/10/1948
56.46m F. Gordien USA 7/9/1949
56.97m F. Gordien USA 8/14/1949
57.93m S. Iness USA 6/20/1953
58.10m F. Gordien USA 7/11/1953
59.28m F. Gordien USA 8/22/1953
59.91m R. Babka USA 8/12/1960
60.46m J. Silvester USA 8/11/1961
60.72m J. Silvester USA 8/20/1961
61.10m A. Oerter USA 5/18/1962
61.64m V. Trusseniev USSR 6/4/1962
62.45m A. Oerter USA 7/1/1962
62.62m A. Oerter USA 4/27/1963
62.94m A. Oerter USA 4/25/1964
64.55m L. Danek CZE 8/2/1964
65.22m L. Danek CZE 10/12/1965
66.54m J. Silvester USA 5/25/1968
68.40m J. Silvester USA 9/18/1968
68.40m R. Bruck SWE 7/5/1972
69.08m J. Powell USA 5/4/1975
69.16m M. Wilkins USA 4/24/1976
70.86m M. Wilkins USA 5/1/1976

Photo: Latest star of the American school: Mac Wilkins who broke the 70-m barrier