Medal count by country in the Men's Javelin Throw at the Summer Olympics 1908-2016

The Men's Javelin Throw has been included in all Summer Olympics since it was first introduced in London 1908. Since then, athletes from Finland have seen the most success in this event, with seven gold medals and 22 total medals; unlike in other athletic events, Finnish athletes have consistently performed well in this event, winning their first medal in 1912, and most recently in 2012. The most successful athlete in this event's history is the Czech javelin thrower, Jan Železný, who won three golds and one silver medal between 1988 and 2000 while representing both Czechoslovakia and the Czech Republic. By winning the gold in 2012, Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago made history, and became the first male athlete of African descent to win the gold medal in any throwing event at the Olympics. In 2016, Ukrainian thrower Oleksandr Pyatnytsya was stripped of the silver medal he won in London in 2012, after testing positive for anabolic steroids; as of June 2020, he is the only athlete to have been stripped of a medal in this event.