Records

Czech Jan Zelezny was faced by a new rival: Raymond Hecht of Germany, who broke through in 1995 with the best throw of the season (92.60m), putting him second to Zelezny on the all-time-best list. Both men were on top form when they met in Jena, Germany, in May 1996.

Hecht threw 90.06m but Zelezny produced 92.88m to lead. This was the first time two men had thrown over 90m in the same competition.

Then, as all great champions do, Zelezny raised his game when he needed to. His next throw was a staggering 98.48m, almost three metres further than his existing world record. Hecht was a beaten man.

Barbora Spotakova added the World record to the Olympic title she had picked up a little over three weeks earlier with a spectacular first round throw at the end-of-season IAAF World Grand Final in Stuttgart.

Expectation of the Czech athlete's World record breaking potential had been raised after she landed Olympic gold in Beijing with a European record of 71.42m - within 0.28 of Osleidys Menendez's best ever mark set at the 2005 World Championships in Helsinki.

But few were quite prepared for Spotakova, a former heptathlete, to better it in the very first round in Stuttgart as she launched the spear out to 72.28m.

It proved a lucrative day for Spotakova , 27, who earned $30,000 for winning and a further $100,000 bonus for breaking the World record in Stuttgart. The men's and women's World javelin records are now both in the ownership of athletes from the Czech Republic.