Janusz Sidło

Janusz Sidło

Janusz Sidlo in 1974
Personal information
Born	19 June 1933 Katowice, Poland
Died	2 August 1993 (aged 60) Warsaw, Poland
Height	1.82 m (6 ft 0 in)
Weight	93 kg (205 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event	Javelin throw
Club	Baildon Katowice, Spójnia Gdańsk, Spójnia Warszawa
Achievements and titles
Personal best	86.22 m (1970)
Medal record Representing Poland Olympic Games 1956 Melbourne Javelin throw European Championships 1954 Bern Javelin throw 1958 Stockholm Javelin throw 1969 Athens Javelin throw

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. 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.

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.

International competitions

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