The
discus throw is a
track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy
disc—called a discus—in an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an
ancient sport, as demonstrated by the fifth-century-B.C.
Myron statue,
Discobolus. Although not part of the
modern pentathlon, it was one of the events of the
ancient Greek pentathlon, which can be dated back to at least to 708 BC.