How Fast Is That Going?

How Fast Is That Going?

You won bronze!

Lindon Victor, an Olympic decathlete from Grenada, threw this at [46] In competition, the discus can reach over [50]

Flying Objects at the Games

From the fast-flying badminton birdie to the slower and heavier shot-put, we’ve shown you a wide range of speeds that will play a critical role in who wins a medal. Is the object fast enough to go great distances? Is it fast enough to befuddle an opponent? Will the speed keep an arrow true?

The birdie and the shot-put could not be more different. The birdie is about the fastest projectile you’ll see at these Olympics, and it’s as light as a feather — literally. It’s made of 16 goose feathers and weighs less than two-tenths of an ounce (about five grams).

Compare that with the men’s shot, one of the heaviest and slowest objects at the Summer Games. It weighs a whopping 16 pounds (7.26 kilograms) — the maximum weight of a bowling ball. To win an Olympic medal, an athlete will need to put it more than three-quarters of a basketball court.

When you’re watching the Games, keep in mind just how much an object’s speed can determine the outcome. Follow The New York Times Olympic coverage.

Methodology: The speeds of the objects were collected using a sports radar gun. Speeds were tracked throughout the flight and the peak speeds were used for this game.

Sources: U.S.A. Archery; Lancaster Archery Academy; Seng Ming Tan, Long Island Badminton Center; Chris Huffins, Olympics bronze medalist in decathlon and current decathlon coach; Marissa Chew, ​​assistant coach, combined events/vertical jumps, Texas Christian University; Yu Shao, New York Indoor Sports Club; U.S.A. Volleyball; Guinness World Records

Check Also

Bangladesh minister defends gov’t response to protests amid calls for probe

Bangladesh minister defends gov’t response to protests amid calls for probe

Bangladesh’s minister of state for information and broadcasting has defended the government’s handling of mass …

Leave a Reply