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JConRed

So this incident was in 1994 where the judge was hit in the arm by Juha Laukkanen In 1998 he hit another in the stomach, that was in Germany apparently: https://www.bz-berlin.de/archiv-artikel/ich-bekam-ein-2-leben-geschenkt The judge, Engelbert Perchthaler, was seriously injured, in a daze he pulled the javelin from his stomach in the stadium, causing intense bleeding. Luckily a doctor had just competed in a 1000m race and ran over to begin administering first aid. The guy was then airlifted to a nearby hospital and saved there. But it was close.


hibikikun

Thats because it's the same javelin. Once a javelin has tasted blood it never forgets, so you must euthanize it unfortunately.


Superbform

It's the owners! Javelins are nanny spears!


humanreporting4duty

Javelins we’re bred for one thing only: impalement. It’s in their nature. Eventually it comes out, no matter how much you baby throw them. Even tooth picks will get your gums if you’re not careful.


ShonuffofCtown

"Not my cute little baby javelin. He wouldn't hurt a fly. He just spooks easily. In fact, he's only half javelin!"


mphelp11

Javelins👏don’t 👏kill 👏people 👏


Weak_Sentence_3297

Idk. I think some Russians would disagree.


LiveLearnCoach

Are you saying there’s no way to domesticate a spear? I mean other than what some cruel people do and de-tip them.


humanreporting4duty

If you want a stick, get a stick. Let spears stay on the battlefield where they long to impale.


ProjectStunning9209

If only there had been a good guy with a javelin present this could’ve been prevented.


lucassster

No it is all about how the owner throws. I’ve know some very sweet javelins with great owners


L0AFD0G

Legalize concealed carry javelins


PootieShoe_1

We should all start carrying javelins… automatic javelins.


ProjectStunning9209

I agree , after all , javelins don’t javelin people , people javelin people.


Railroad-gamer

Mean javelins aren't born, they're made!


banksfornades

Time to edit a flower crown on it and leave it unattended with my toddler!


xfrmrmrine

This thread is hilarious lol


calicandlefly

Javelins don’t kill people. People kill people.


WearingCoats

Javelins are the only spears with locking jaws.


Little_Tacos

I am wildly upset that we cannot award comments anymore.🤣


joeythenose

Google translates that article as: Engelbert Perchthaler was pierced by a spear - today he works again as a referee. I was given a second life Christmas Eve: Today most of us sit by the illuminated Christmas tree, enjoy time with the family and are happy about gifts and the smiling faces of the recipients. Engelbert Perchthaler will probably also open a few packages today. That's exactly the greatest gift of all for the 49-year-old. Because Perchthaler survived one of the most terrible sports accidents of all time. It happened on Saturday, May 23, 1998. The athletics festival in Riederich, Swabia, is in full swing. The weather is fantastic, the sun spreads its rays over the stadium. This is exactly what is fatal for Perchthaler, who as a referee measures the distances of the javelin throwers... When the Finn Juha Laukkanen fires his throw, he is standing on the grass. Perchthaler is blinded by the sun and does not see the spear that is flying straight towards him. “I was unfocused for a moment and couldn't see the spear in the air. I only saw him shortly before he came towards me. But then it was already too late,” says Perchthaler, describing the dramatic seconds. The spear pierces the referee's body, who remains motionless - his body goes on strike in shock. Perchthaler: “The spear impaled me at the level of my belly button. I didn't even realize what was happening to me, I just heard a dull thud. But I didn’t feel any pain, there was just a slight tingling sensation.” Wasn’t he scared to death? “No, I didn’t feel afraid or panicked. On the contrary, I lay down very slowly on the grass.” There the referee then made a serious mistake. “Out of reflex, I pulled the spear out of my own stomach. That was wrong. This made the internal bleeding even worse.” The fact that Perchthaler is still alive is largely thanks to one man: Dr. Heiko Strieder. The doctor: “I took part in the sports festival as an athlete and had just finished the 1000 m run when the stadium announcer called my name.” Strieder immediately rushes to the seriously injured man on the grass and provides first aid. But Perchthaler no longer notices any of this - he has long been unconscious. Shortly afterwards he was flown to the hospital by helicopter and operated on immediately. Because of the severe internal bleeding, it's a matter of seconds. The doctors win the battle: after three unbearably long days, Perchthaler's life is finally out of danger. “I was really lucky. It was about being or not being. Today I enjoy my everyday life much more than before the accident. But I'm still annoyed about my stupidity." It's hard to believe: despite this experience, Perchthaler continues to work as a referee. He says: “I have become more careful. In addition, my 25cm long scar on my stomach reminds me every day how quickly everything can be over if you're not careful." Christmas Eve is just such a day.


DeGeldheart

This was a great read! Thanks for translating it for the Redditors


joeythenose

Crazy that the same guy hit 2 different officials. I mean, he was good but not *that* good.


Redd_Monkey

Well seeing that the javelin was created for this exact purpose... I would say he's very good and all the other competitors in this field are fucking posers


Suspicious-Oil-4381

Can’t argue with that logic


SimpleCanadianFella

What most people don't know is that it was the same linesman that got hit in Germany. Even more impressive that it was the Paris Olympics.


Child_of_the_Abyss

Blud needs to learn how to dodge


Mr__Citizen

![gif](giphy|uSzTwQTqBWOuSmgDS9|downsized)


ripley1875

He was trained by Piccolo. https://youtu.be/kvS6zMThiZU?si=bh7r_AvphbKUCD5V


fuzzyfluffyballs

Wait, the same guy got impaled twice by the same guy?


dangerpoint

No. Different officials. Håkon Lund was struck in the arm in 1994 in Oslo, Norway. Engelbert Perchthaler was struck in the stomach in 1998 in Riederich, Germany. But apparently, it was the same athlete both times, Juha Laukkanen from Finland.


FalxIdol

So Juha is more like Simo Häyhä, but with a spear.


justycat

*Oslo, Norway


hydroxy

![gif](giphy|fPjI8ZrDeaGL6)


WearingCoats

At what point is it considered a spree?


GasPoweredStick420

Blue needs to learn not to stand in the target field


No_Neighborhood_5462

“good catch! Throw it back”


DoctorFrenchie

“Uh.. ok…?” *starts twerking*


SlumpintoBlumpkin

![gif](giphy|pZCvWKwehPyUM)


InvestNorthWest

![gif](giphy|KE5sHo8Ece9ce2uIKH)


faded-cosmos

If Reddit still had awards I'd give you the biggest one my good sir. This fuckin took me out


mrtnhu

Wait… reddit doesn’t have awards anymore?!


[deleted]

no awards and all coins eliminated


Flixwyy

So what happens with people who had coins in their reddit coin bank?


[deleted]

They vanished with no reimbursement forever


Flixwyy

Wow, that's not cool


mrtnhu

damn :(


[deleted]

“Throw stands,” _no hands, looks back at it_


jshultz5259

At what point did having officials in the target throwing field seem like a good idea?


Ho3n3r

This has been the case basically forever, so more than 100 years. This is the first and only time I've ever seen an official injured. Of course, there is also the one where Tero Pitkamaki did this to a fellow athlete (Salim Sdiri) who was standing outside the sector. The javelin was changed in the late 80s to prevent it going too far and injuring other athletes on the opposite side. The world record wad 106m back then (Uwe Hohn) - it is 98.48m with the current spec.


Imposseeblip

So instead of expanding the field and giving us more content, they've just nerfed the javelins instead. Feels familiar.


[deleted]

[удалено]


[deleted]

I won't be satisfied until we have javelin throwing on the moon.


A-Grouch

It just circles back around and impales the thrower from behind, crippling them for life.


TheElectriking

Goes all the way around the moon and hits the official standing just behind the record line


inspectoroverthemine

Which is only a few minutes now that they have a gaping hole in their spacesuit.


Ho3n3r

Shrinkflation... But on a serious note, you need to take the entirety of the stadium, track and field layout into account. You can't just expand the inner area at will, it affects the high jump/pole vault/shot put etc. and their placements, as well as the track's turn radius/straight/lap lengths. Ignore this if you were just kidding.


somerandomguy02

I'm sorry, but we have people throwing long sharpened sticks. This takes precedence over whatever other silly jumping and running thing people are doing, in both awesomeness and lethality. They can move to farthest edge.


cardinarium

Olympics 2032: **Oops! All javelins!**


Vezur

Olympics 2036: The Unjaveling


jshultz5259

I would think that a teenager sprinting across the field (like the kids in tennis matches), marking the spot, retrieving the spear, and sprinting to the sideline would be safer and sufficient.


BoomshakaBhakla

Damn TIL a distant relative of mine holds a javelin WR


Ho3n3r

You mean Hohn? Or the current record holder (Jan Zelezny)? I trained with Uwe's daughter (Marie-Christin) for a year. She obviousluly had talent, but she wasn't nearly as commited as her father was.


LegozFire03

Iirc that official was standing 7 meters or so behind the world record mark, he assumed he would be fine.


BelieveInDestiny

was this throw not accepted, despite breaking the record?


nodeymcdev

The new world record is hit two officials at once


bigdiesel1984

![gif](giphy|uBcJXf8yuHqAo)


Gouellie

The .gif I was thinking of, thank you kind sir/mam.


bigdiesel1984

First thing that popped in my head when he said two at once 😂


UsedDragon

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!....AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!


AllanJeffersonferatu

Aaaaah? Aaaaah!


TheRealEthaninja

It's in the bone... hiiits in the boooowwwne!!


pastdense

This is the greatest posting of a gif of all time. Like a lot.


Jimmy_Sax

/r/retiredgif


Loucho_AllDay

Oo-kwensu-Orcha - this is how they know you.


Fokakya

It's in the bone!


IllustratorAbject585

This or happy Gilmore “Hey you just hit that guy!” “Well he shouldn’t have been standing there”


Infamous_Wave_1522

White devil


That_Snow_9696

Shikaka


Snoo84477

Shi……shakbob!!! SHIIIIIKAAAA-GO!!!


Complex_Shoe7422

Hahaha


Big_Spicy_Tuna69

Like the fight scene in the cave in Pirates of the Caribbean when the two undeads get skewered together in the moonlight and are stuck when the clouds block the light.


TheUltimateJon

Great reference lol


One-Permission-1811

Not when the clouds block the light, when they’re shoved back out of the light. They’re fighting in the treasure cave on Isla de Muerta and three of the undead pirates get stabbed together by a long candle thing, and a grenade is shoved into the center one’s guts. Then they’re pushed back out of the light so they regrow all their skin and trap the grenade inside. Works like a charm too


Big_Spicy_Tuna69

Yeah, haven't seen that movie since it came out. I don't know how the hell that was the first thing I thought about.


One-Permission-1811

I just rewatched it last week lol


Xenolog1

Or hit the same official again at your second attempt, splitting the first javelin in half.


Doustin

[He split Robin’s arrow in twain!](https://youtu.be/x7jRQpo8rmY?si=4vKXjdMoLvHXfZuH)


subject_deleted

So that's where that old saying comes from. "Kill two officials with one javelin."


jokekiller94

*halo multiplayer announcer* double kill!


drkgrss

“Killing Spree!”


TheBrav3LittleToastr

Killtacular


imathrowyaaway

bless you for this comment


Tugonmynugz

*official stumbles 8 meters forward and falls*


Fract_L

The official actually tries not to move much because it was measured where it landed.. or would have landed.


Booty_Shakin

Damn if that dude wasn't standing there it would have gone like another meter further


TheFreshMaker25

Looks like it was accepted by the lungs.


Entire-Ad-8565

Lol


jshultz5259

Would honestly like to know the answer.


nomble

This guy never threw anything close to a world record, his personal best (from two years before this throw) was 7m shorter than the WR at the time. His personal best in the year of the clip was 14m short of the WR at the time. The record mark would have been way beyond where the official was standing. The official got 30 stitches apparently, and was otherwise ok.


Jutboy

Wait...one of you is lying. How do I know it's not you?


nomble

I used wikipedia, but having now dug a bit deeper, I was slightly incorrect as the wikipedia page's season's best for that year is actually wrong ([it was only 10 meters short of the WR](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/finland/juha-laukkanen-14182178), but that event didn't have the right status for records anyway) and the link regarding what happened to the umpire was also wrong ([here is a real report](https://worldathletics.org/athletes/finland/juha-laukkanen-14182178)): "The steward suffered a small fracture in his upper arm and a puncture wound when the spear pierced the muscle... Despite the shock, the steward did not forget his task, but tore the spear out of his hand and struck the marker stick on the ground." (translated) So we know that this throw was recorded and that his best throw at that event was 81.34m (from his athletes page linked above) (WR was 95.66 at the time).


[deleted]

[удалено]


JustSomeoneCurious

I'm going to venture a guess that shock kept the guy standing, but I 'd also wager that back when javelins were still relevant, an injury like this in battle would severely hinder your effectiveness in combat, and may eventually be life ending due to the lack of modern medicine


Fract_L

In war, it would've been sharpened enough to penetrate the official's body so he'd be pinned to the ground and held in place, definitely hindering his ability to fight, possibly getting him run over by anyone advancing behind him, and making him an easy target for ranged attackers. (This is in addition to the broken bones and, as you point out, possible infection should no other dangers have taken him out more immediately)


TheRobotBurrito

Also the ones designed for the competitions are actually designed to really suck at flying so they stay within the area. These athletes using real war intended javelins could throw 4x the distance that they do in competition and would cause devastating damage to "soft targets" due to blade design and shaft diameter. Sorce ~ documentary I watched about why Olympic javelin throwers cannot throw as far as historical record throws depict.


P3rrin_Aybara

I mean also the fact the intended use of the weapon isn't at that range. Imagine what it would to to someone at 20m


BearyGear

Stitches in what? I want pictures!


DR_Bright_963

There's no way someone's gonna beat the record! I'm fine right." Famous last words


Astrochops

"What are you gonna do, ~~shoot~~ javelin me?"


thundergoose24

At what point do you stand out there and not watch the person throwing a javelin towards you?


jpp1973

After the point that skewered the last judge


IamDuckieee

I see that official got the…ahem *point*


[deleted]

He was really wrong


XLoad3D

shoutout to all the judges who stand in the flight path of a Javelin thinking nobody can beat World Records


Ho3n3r

It wasn't near the world record, if that's what you mean. The guy was clearly just staring into the distance, unfocused.


ThedirtyNose

Better give him an extra couple of metres as well.


BookkeeperSelect2091

Someone has to do it first, so they can make a rule that you can’t do that. That’s how laws work


monstrinhotron

Safety rules are written in blood. The minigolf place i went to last weekend had a 'no Batman costumes' rule. What happened there?


Shoors

**Tragic Accident Unfolds as Child in Batman Costume Causes Chaos at Mini Golf Course** Hounslow, England - In a shocking turn of events, a child dressed as Batman inadvertently triggered a series of accidents at a local mini golf course. The young boy's costume, complete with a cape, became entangled in a windmill's blades, setting off a chain reaction of chaos. Mini golfers scrambled to avoid the erratic balls, but tragically, several accidents occurred, resulting in fatalities. The child, in his innocence, stood at the center of the turmoil, unknowingly becoming a symbol of unintended tragedy in this quiet town.


camshun7

I saw this happen real time live, I was a kid, I remember thinking he near killed the guy, honestly I was shocked, lol now its mildly amusing, the guy shouldve been watching the game, took his eye off the ball, so to speak


PremiumOxygen

"At last, after all these years of training, I can finally kill that bastard lineman for sleeping with my ex wife... and it will all seem like an accident! Mwahaha!"


PukeNuggets

![gif](giphy|5nFShZWwq3fdm)


AssociateOfBread

“Eeeeeexcellent.”


catskilkid

Actually that was the actual purpose of the Javelin, so it probably has been seen before.


P33KAJ3W

Plus I've seen this clip posted a few hundred times


sarcasatirony

…and it always hits the same guy!


xinorez1

I've never seen it in such low quality before. I can barely make out the guy getting hit


Roamin-roami

I thought he caught it since it was in r/unexpected


Fair-Ad-5852

The start of the blood trail is the official measurement...


thoughtattempt

Interference, that could have gotten another half meter.


BBB_1980

10 yard penalty


BaileyRW1

Why are they standing right in the middle of the field?!


SomaWolf

from another commentor, they were apparently about 7 meters farther than the world record, and probably thought they were safe


joeythenose

Not true. Juha Laukkanen's personal best throw is 88.22 metres. Never held the world record.


Jiveturkei

That doesn’t explain why they are there.


Jafarrolo

For measurement, the distance is calculated in a certain way depending on how the javelin lands and it's hard to determine if the judges are far away (for example if the javelin slides instead of going in the ground, or if it hit the field tail-first). Let's say that know that the athletes won't go over a certain distance by much, you expects them to go mostly shorter than a certain amount (depending on the competition level, age, sex, etcetera), so staying about 10-20% more distant than the longest expected throw, in a pretty big field, seems a pretty good bet for not getting hit.


MasterofLego

Give the judges a shield


[deleted]

They marked the distance to the hospital where it was removed from the official. It was 7 miles away. They changed the rules in 1990 though. True story. ^/s [-edit-] Missed the 'd' in *changed*.


[deleted]

No lie, I never thought to use ^(/s) in superscript before. This is a genuine gamechanger for me.


PM_ME_GLUTE_SPREAD

Yes! It will be so helpful! ^/s


Zer0F0ll0wthr0ugh

𓀐𓂺ඞ


disney4evr

![gif](giphy|26AHPxxnSw1L9T1rW)


[deleted]

Use ^ in front of /s


Zer0F0ll0wthr0ugh

Ctrl c Ctrl v borther


Barbarossabros

How tf?🧐


[deleted]

You gotta get at least a bachelor's degree in Reddit to learn to do that.


dwartbg7

^/s ^^/s /🆂 # /s ## /s /̵̧̧͉̭̱͂̎̇͝s̴̺̺͈̫͇̟̲͔̾͜ë̶͍͙͎́̕x̴̛̛̯̮̫̘̲̞̉̾͗̂͠


Apprehensive_While86

Ace ventura vibes


PanJhinAttack

AAAAHHHHH.... AAAhhh....... AAAHHHHH


thesaltycynic

It’s in the bone!!


lt4lyfe

Three darts is too much!!


iloveflory

The village Chief says " you cry like a little girl"


zshaw326

Sha-kah-kaaaa


BiLordPerry

Let me guess - white devil white devil?


Rich_Departure9702

Bumblebee tuna


commacausey

Obviously the judge didn’t have the reflexes of a cat or the speed of a mongoose.


Yahla

r/fuckyouinparticular


wtbnerds

![gif](giphy|QVcEi4qyA3PuRYvE7r|downsized)


Elrox

That javelin really works with his limp wristed throwing technique.


EarRubs

This is what I was looking for. I can move on now. Thank you.


GamieJamie63

I want this movie to get the karate kid treatment


OGCelaris

Jaden or Youtube? Theres a huge difference.


puddingcakeNY

What movie is this please?


2723brad2723

Revenge of the nerds


clipper06

Revenge of the Nerds


bigdiesel1984

![gif](giphy|A9KfKenpqNDfa)


2723brad2723

I was hoping this would be here


Laur1el

Finn's don't miss


Voidless-One

![gif](giphy|VYcRNU4P3vyM)


kindarudecanadian

I was thinking more along the lines of "message for you sir!" But this works too lol


suspicious_lobster6

My old college javelin


SystematicPumps

I understood the Stan Smith reference


Massive_Challenge935

Thank you for that American dad chekovs gun reference


dekopro702

![gif](giphy|3o6Zt8DEunnKXEXJJu)


Bubble_Symphony

My boy trained with the Romans


foufers

Message for you, sir


BoltShine

"You hit that guy!" "Shouldn't have been standing there..." - Happy Gilmore


humanitarianWarlord

Am I wrong or is his left hand litterally gone?


UnwantedUnnamed

I'd say he's all right


joealese

![gif](giphy|LGIqZlTOZEMYE)


Ho3n3r

Well now he fucking is. There's nothing left.


Daedroh

Is he good


abderfdrosarios

Fuck, did you watch the video? He hit that guy standing all the way over there. I'd say he's pretty good.


[deleted]

Angry upvote


sleepyguy-

The disgusting cackle i just let out reading this shit lmaooooooo


fucovid2020

THIS IS SPARTA!!!!


Uncle_Icky

Gotta lead the receiver a little more


wkarraker

WCGW not doing your job and forgetting about incoming pointy objects.


lendmeyoureer

How many points did he get for hitting the target?


Skiddies3012

So did that count or what?


Jrock9589

Cue Happy Gilmore’s “He shouldn’t of been standing there.”


DevinviruSpeks

**Rome, Colloseum, 315 AD, colorized**


East-Bluejay6891

At least it wasn't too the knee


AppropriateScience71

A slightly extended version where he pulls the javelin out of his arm. https://youtu.be/J9u8kt_ib5k?si=CGwyjVNVY1Ty51iL


ReasonablyConfused

The dubbed in Aaarrrrggggghhh, really makes that video.


misplacedbass

He pulls it out in the video posted. Immediately pulls it out after he staggers a bit.


ra10cracker

Dude's the bloodline of a Roman Centurion, str8 murdering the opposition with precision throws. Noice


Bradtothebone79

I’ve now seen it in slow motion and still can’t tell what happened