What is the weight of the javelin used in the women's javelin throw?

Under World Athletics rules, the javelin used by senior women weighs 600 g, and the javelin used by senior men weighs 800 g.

Javelin specifications:

• Women: 600 g; length 2.20-2.30 m.
• Men: 800 g; length 2.60-2.70 m.
• The javelin has three parts: a metal head (tip), a shaft and a cord grip at the centre of gravity.

Rules of the javelin throw:

The athlete runs along a runway, at least 30 m long, and throws the javelin over the shoulder or upper arm. It must not be thrown with a sling or by spinning.

The thrower must not turn his or her back to the throwing direction before releasing the javelin.

The metal tip must strike the ground first for the throw to be valid.

The javelin must land within a sector of about 28.96 degrees.

The athlete must not step over the arc-shaped foul line at the end of the runway.

Changes to the javelin:

In 1986 (men) and 1999 (women), the javelin's centre of gravity was moved forward, so that it would land tip-first more often and fly shorter distances. This was done partly because Uwe Hohn of East Germany threw 104.80 m in 1984, which was dangerously close to the end of the stadium.

India and the javelin throw:

Neeraj Chopra won gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics (87.58 m), India's first Olympic gold in athletics, and silver at Paris 2024 (89.45 m). He also won the World Championship gold in 2023.

Annu Rani holds the women's national record and won gold at the 2022 Asian Games.

Devendra Jhajharia and Sumit Antil have won Paralympic golds in the javelin.

Other throwing weights:

• Shot put: 7.26 kg (men), 4 kg (women).
• Discus: 2 kg (men), 1 kg (women).
• Hammer: 7.26 kg (men), 4 kg (women).

Why not the other options?

• ✗800 grams is the weight of the men's javelin.
• ✗500 grams and 700 grams are used in some youth categories, not senior women.