Evolution of the Discus

            What sport could be so demanding that an athlete must have technique, balance, strength, determination, and goals? This could be any sport, but now include that the athlete must be able to use all of these traits in an eight-and-a-half foot circle, throw an implement weighing roughly two pounds as far as possible, while spinning as fast as possible while managing not to fall out of the ring. As difficult as it may sound, discus throwing has been chiseled down into an exceptional talent that is practiced worldwide today. Athletes everywhere have worked to become the best at this event, and this knowledge did not just come to someone overnight. Over the years many scholars and athletes have experimented their own ways of improving the event. The evolution of the discus as an event has brought the art and skill of discus throwing to an all time high.
             The art and basic idea of the discus has evolved greatly throughout the years. When this event first originated in the eighteenth Olympiad in the year 708 B.C., it was not very organized (McNab, 150). Not only was the event only for grown men, but also there were very few rules. The athletes that competed in the discus also had to perform in the pentathlon, which was an event that included many different separate events, such as running, swimming, and throwing the discus (Glubok, 44). It was not considered an .
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             event by itself. All the athletes threw from a small area called the balbis, which was simply a raised platform. The balbis was marked off by a stone starting line and by rows of pegs on either side. There was no line in the rear of the balbis, so the thrower could take as many steps as he pleased before releasing the discus (Glubok, 44).
             The idea of creating the discus was a direct result from the statue "Discobolus" (Wilkins, 4). The origin of this piece is still unknown by many scholars, but they believe this statue was like a sign from the gods (Glubok, 45).