Janusz Jan Sidło (19 June 1933 – 2 August 1993) was a Polish javelin thrower. He competed at the 1952, 1956, 1960, 1964, and 1968 Olympics and finished in 18th, 2nd, 8th, 4th and 7th place, respectively.[1] He was awarded the Officer's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta and later the Knight's Cross. During his long career Sidło won 14 national titles and competed in five European Championships (1954, 1958, 1962, 1966, and 1969), winning them in 1954 and 1958 and medalling in 1969.

Janusz Sidło
Janusz Sidlo in 1974
Personal information
Born19 June 1933
Katowice, Poland
Died2 August 1993 (aged 60)
Warsaw, Poland
Height1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight93 kg (205 lb)
Sport
SportAthletics
EventJavelin throw
ClubBaildon Katowice, Spójnia Gdańsk, Spójnia Warszawa
Achievements and titles
Personal best86.22 m (1970)
Medal record
Representing  Poland
Olympic Games
Silver medal – second place 1956 Melbourne Javelin throw
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1954 Bern Javelin throw
Gold medal – first place 1958 Stockholm Javelin throw
Bronze medal – third place 1969 Athens Javelin throw

In 1954 and 1955, he was chosen the Polish Sportspersonality of the Year.

In October 1953, Sidło set a new European javelin record at 80.15 m in Jena. In June 1956, he set a world record at the 83.66 m in Milan. He went to the 1956 Summer Olympics as a favourite, and was equipped with a modern javelin made of steel, while most of his competitors still used wooden ones. Sidło led the competition with a throw of 79.98 m, but then lent his javelin to his poorly performing friend, Egil Danielsen from Norway. Danielsen set a new world record at 85.71 m and won the gold medal.[2][3]

International competitions

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Year Competition Venue Position Notes
Representing   Poland
1951 World Festival of Youth and Students Berlin, East Germany 1st 66.38 m
1952 Olympic Games Helsinki, Finland 18th (q) 62.16 m
1954 World Student Games Budapest, Hungary 1st 75.24 m
European Championships Bern, Switzerland 1st 76.35 m
1955 World Festival of Youth and Students Warsaw, Poland 1st 77.93 m
1956 Olympic Games Melbourne, Australia 2nd 79.98 m
1957 World Festival of Youth and Students Moscow, Soviet Union 1st 80.12 m
1958 European Championships Stockholm, Sweden 1st 80.18 m
1959 World Festival of Youth and Students Vienna, Austria 1st 76.53 m
1960 Olympic Games Rome, Italy 8th 76.46 m
1961 Universiade Sofia, Bulgaria 2nd 77.48 m
1962 World Festival of Youth and Students Helsinki, Finland 2nd 72.59 m
European Championships Belgrade, Yugoslavia 7th 75.01 m
1964 Olympic Games Tokyo, Japan 4th 80.17 m
1966 European Championships Budapest, Hungary 7th 78.86 m
1968 Olympic Games Mexico City, Mexico 7th 80.58 m
1969 European Championships Athens, Greece 3rd 82.90 m

References

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  1. ^ Janusz Sidło Archived 13 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
  2. ^ Athletics at the 1956 Melbourne Summer Games: Men's Javelin Throw Archived 4 July 2015 at the Wayback Machine. sports-reference.com
  3. ^ Zablocki, Wojciech (January 2000). "Setting the record straight" (PDF). Journal of Olympic History: 8–10. Archived from the original (PDF) on 25 August 2016. Retrieved 12 July 2015.