The top 10 British throwers of all time

We list the leading athletes in the shot put, discus, hammer and javelin throughout history

10 Nick Miller

During his 2018 Commonwealth win, Miller achieved Britain’s only 80-metre hammer throw (80.26m) to date. He retained his title in 2022 and also achieved top six placings in the 2017 World Championships and 2021 Olympics.

9 Bob Weir

Won Commonwealth hammer gold in 1982 but switched to the discus, winning Commonwealth gold in 1998, as well as bronze in 1994 and 2002.

Weir competed in three Olympics, with a best showing of eighth in the hammer in 1984, while he matched that position in the discus at the 1997 World Championships.

8 Sophie Hitchon

The former world under-20 and European under-23 champion retired in her mid-20s, but  won Olympic bronze in Rio with a British record 74.54m and also made the top eight in both the 2015 and 2017 World Championships. There was a Commonwealth bronze, too, as well as three European finals.

7 Mick Hill

Overshadowed by his friend and training partner Steve Backley, he still had his successes, winning a world bronze – he contested six world finals – a European silver and four Commonwealth medals. Hill competed in four Olympics and made the final three times, with a best of 11th.

6 Judy Oakes

The UK record-holder won European indoor shot put bronze early on in her long career and her domestic dominance was unparalleled, winning 35 national titles. She also won six Commonwealth medals, including three golds and competed in four Olympics (coming fourth in 1984). Including indoors, she competed in eight world championships and achieved three top ten placings. She won Britain’s Strongest Woman title in 1983 and went on to become a world powerlifting champion.

5 Arthur Rowe

He won European and Commonwealth shot put gold in 1958 and, but for illness in qualifying, he should have challenged for medals at the 1960 Olympics. In 1961 he was unbeaten and threw a European record 19.56m but in 1962 he gave up his amateur status to play Rugby League.

4 Geoff Capes

Though he won Commonwealth gold in 1974 and 1978, his best results came at the European Indoors, where he won two golds, three silvers and a bronze between 1974 and 1979. Outdoors he won European bronze and had two Olympic top six places but is best known for dominating World’s Strongest Man contests.

3 Tessa Sanderson

The pinnacle of a long, successful career was her 69.56m victory at the Los Angeles Olympics. She also won three Commonwealth golds (1978, 1986 and 1990) and a European silver. Sanderson competed in six Olympics and three World Championships but 1984 aside, coming fourth in global championships three times.

2 Fatima Whitbread

Best known for breaking the world record in European qualifying in 1986 (going on to win the gold) and a world title in 1987. Whitbread backed that up with an Olympic silver in 1988 and a bronze in 1984, while she also won a Commonwealth silver and bronze.

1 Steve Backley

Britain’s greatest ever male thrower by some distance won three Olympic javelin medals (two silvers and a bronze), as well as two world silvers and set three world records. However, his greatest achievement is winning four successive European titles between 1990 and 2002, a time when Europeans topped the world. The now BBC commentator also won three Commonwealth golds and a silver, as well as European junior and World Student Games titles and had two further global top fours.

» This article first appeared in the February issue of AW magazine, which you can read here

The top 10 British throwers of all time appeared first on AW.