NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / Sport / Commonwealth Games

Javelin: Thrower hopes form will get him to 14-year record

Dylan Cleaver
By Dylan Cleaver
Sports Editor at Large·NZ Herald·
8 Oct, 2010 04:30 PM3 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  Sign in here

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save

    Share this article

He may hurt all over, but Stuart Farquhar will be throwing everything he's got in his quest for gold in the javelin event. Photo / Paul Estcourt

He may hurt all over, but Stuart Farquhar will be throwing everything he's got in his quest for gold in the javelin event. Photo / Paul Estcourt

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

There's a number stirring in the recesses of Stuart Farquhar's mind - 90.

That's how many metres he reckons he's got in his arm, all going well.

It's not a pipe dream, but he knows it won't be easy. Put it this way, Gavin Lovegrove's national record of 88.20m, set
in Norway, has stood for 14 years.

"I'd like to think it's 90m, or at least over the New Zealand record. It's one of those things where if I get everything right on the day - my technique's right, my power's up, I'm fresh - I think I'm able to do it.

"It's about getting all those things right."

The 28-year-old has won 10 national javelin titles, been to two Olympics and missed making the final at last year's world championships in Berlin, but he believes his best is still to come.

He has thrown the furthest in the Commonwealth this year and is, by his own admission, in good form.

Just don't call him hot favourite to win on Monday.

"I guess everyone looks at it and says, 'Oh you're the favourite, you should expect to win.' But when I did my personal best back in February conditions suited me," the Hamiltonian said. "It really depends. It is so hard to try to guess who will win just by looking at those rankings."

There's a big, flame-haired Australian looming too, and the way the green and gold has been there to thwart virtually every New Zealand attempt at winning in Delhi, it would be foolish to rule him out.

"Jarrod Bannister has thrown 83m this year but has a PB of 89m, so he's due for a big throw as well," Farquhar said. "It's a really unknown situation.

"It's going to be interesting conditions out there with no wind. That could prove a big leveller. It should be interesting to see the distances."

As with all the throwing events at these Games, the emphasis is on getting a big throw in early.

The conditions in the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium can get horribly muggy. That saps the energy, brings on the sweats and makes grip difficult later in the evening.

"I think that's the key in these major championships, to get a big throw in the first couple of rounds. It's easier for you later in the comp if it gets hot and exhausting and it's beneficial because you put the pressure on the other guys as well. You set the standards."

The javelin is arguably the most draining of the field events.

It requires runway speed, an explosion of power and energy and, counter-intuitively, the ability to stop on a dime. Just watching it can give you a sore shoulder.

In season, Farquhar will typically have three throwing sessions a week, in the off-season more. During each session he will make 20 throws and 15 of those throws will be at full throttle. The strain that must put on the body, particularly the right shoulder and left knee (which locks on the point of release) must make javelin throwers early candidates for an arthritic old age.

Lovegrove, for example, retired with a chronic back injury.

"Everywhere hurts," said Farquhar. "The shoulder, the elbow, the back, the left knee ... the ankles. Everything. I have to manage it well, not push myself too far in training.

"There's always little [niggles] that come and go. You just have to learn to manage it well."

A gold medal should prove the ultimate painkiller.

Discover more

Commonwealth Games

Bowls: Trading places pays off

08 Oct 04:30 PM
Opinion

<i>David Leggat:</i> Mixed doubles proving popular with athletes

08 Oct 04:30 PM
Commonwealth Games

Cycling: Having fun, wish you were here

08 Oct 04:30 PM
Commonwealth Games

Wrestling: Long way to go for two-minute contest

08 Oct 04:30 PM
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Save

    Share this article

Latest from Commonwealth Games

Premium
Black Ferns

Woodman-Wickliffe on babies, books, broadcasting and King’s Birthday honour

02 Jun 03:00 AM
Premium
Commonwealth Games

'Shifting stereotypes': Women lead NZ's weightlifting surge

29 Apr 09:12 PM
New Zealand

First day of the coronial inquest into the death of Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore

From early mornings to easy living

sponsored
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Latest from Commonwealth Games

Premium
Woodman-Wickliffe on babies, books, broadcasting and King’s Birthday honour

Woodman-Wickliffe on babies, books, broadcasting and King’s Birthday honour

02 Jun 03:00 AM

She aims to start a family after the Rugby World Cup in England.

Premium
'Shifting stereotypes': Women lead NZ's weightlifting surge

'Shifting stereotypes': Women lead NZ's weightlifting surge

29 Apr 09:12 PM
First day of the coronial inquest into the death of Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore

First day of the coronial inquest into the death of Olympic cyclist Olivia Podmore

Will New Zealand lose out with Commonwealth Games cutbacks?

Will New Zealand lose out with Commonwealth Games cutbacks?

22 Oct 07:30 PM
Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP