1891-1908 The statistics of years 1891-1908 are mainly based on the work of Risto Karasmaa, Esa Laitinen and Jorma Ryhänen and some Finnish and Swedish sport magazines. There are also comments to some competitions, where codenumber of competition is printed with bold in sidemenu. Sorry some of them is still in Finnish, but will be soon translated in English. And more years will be added later. I have always tried to mention the source, where the results have been taken from. So it is easier to any statistician to check any different result and decide his own choice. I have used Hubert Hamacher's method to have all old results in the same list. It's known to every statistician that you have not always in use both better and worse hand results, but only the combined result. In these cases I have printed as better hand result the value of 56% of combined result. I hear you say, that the real percent varies a lot and you can't choose any particular value for this. And I say you are right, but - . I have mentioned the thrower's average percent value of all known both hand result in connection of his performances. For instance Eric Lemming's average is 59%; his values are between 55-65%. Only few thrower has an average below 56%. Average of all known result 1891-1906 is 0.586 and in this way you have about 80% conservative result. It means that if someone will find in the future lost better hand results somewhere, it is with 80% propability better than an estimate of 56%. I thought this is better way than 50% value, which is sometimes used and which is always (and too much) on the safe side. This action makes better justice for the throwers, whose results are known only with the combined numbers. Because it is in no way their fault. Hubert Hamacher's book "Leichtathletik im 19. Jahrhundert Band I (1891-1900)" has been one source for my list. He has used above mentioned method. On the other hand I have seen also lists, where the clearly 56% result has turned to real right hand result. In the yearlists these calculated better hand results has always been marked with different colour and with symbol "56%", so you can see them easily and pass them if you disagree. I have to mention in this connection, that unfortunately Hubert Hamacher's interpretation of some results of Risto Karasmaa's "Finnish Athletics 1878-1899" are partly incorrect. In some cases the points of multiple events have turned to javelin results. That's maybe because the Karasmaa's book is written in Finnish.

Brothers Evert and Jarl Jakobsson, well-known Finnish javelin throwers in the beginning of the 20th century. The starting year is 1891, because then in Finland it was taking into use the javelin with weight 800g and length 2600 mm. Earlier it had been used 747g and 567g javelins. Maybe this was set up on Swedish example. It is known only few competition before 1891, where 800 g or heavier javelin is used. The old Swedish measurement system was replaced by the metric system in 1892 in Finland. I wish that there are not too many misprints in the lists and I will do some kind of slow checking all the time. In the case of the old results sometimes suspicion arises to mind of their correctness or the weight of javelin. I have not expressed my doubts, maybe later. Anyway it has been very interesting to study so old material. Sources: -Risto Karasmaa: "Suomen Yleisurheilu 1878-1899" (1992) -"Tidning för idrott" (-1896), "Ny Tidning för idrott" (1897-) -Hubert Hamacher: "Leichtathletik im 19. Jahrhundert" -Gabor Kobzos: "All-time Hungarian Best in 1904" (javelin) -Jorma Ryhäsen arkisto (archives of Jorma Ryhänen) -"Norsk Fri-Idretts historie fra 1896-1950", redaktörer: Sverre Gundersen og Edvard Nilsen (1952) -Esa Laitinen: "Suomen Yleisurheilu 1900-1904, 1905-06, 1907, 1908, 1909, 1910, 1911, 1912" (1991-96) -"Nordiskt Idrottslif" 1900- -Hubert Hamacherin muistiinpanot Ryhäsen arkistossa -Ekkehard zur Megede & Richard Hymans: "Progression of world best performances and official IAAF world records" (1995) -"Norsk Idrättsblad" 1883- -Matti Rasilainen: "Nearly complete results of mens javelin in major championships" (http://koti.welho.com/mrasilai/) -Tore Johansen: website "friidrett.no" (årsstatistikker)