Discus throw is a track and field event in which athletes hurl a metal disc-shaped object as far as they can.

Men's discus has been a part of every modern Olympics. Women's discus debuted with the women's 100m, 800m, 4x100m relay and high jump at the 1928 Amsterdam Games.

Athletes stand in a circle measuring 8.2 feet in diameter, spin around to build centrifugal force and release the discus.

After release, the discus must land inside a marked sector, and the athlete cannot leave the circle before it has landed. A net surrounds the thrower for safety.

The predominant technique used to throw discus is by spinning. Athletes typically take one-and-a-half spins before releasing. There's no mandatory number of spins.

Glide (back to front of circle) throw techniques are rare, mainly used outside professional competition, and much more common to find in shot put.

Yes, the men use a discus that weighs 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) and is 22 centimeters (8.66 inches) in diameter, while the women use a discus that weighs 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) and is 18 centimeters (7.09 inches) in diameter.

Diskos (δίσκος) is the Greek work for disc. Discus was part of the ancient Greek pentathlon along with javelin and long jump.

Common errors in discus include:

• Stepping out of the circle before the discus lands
• Throwing the discus outside the sector landing area
• Exiting the circle from the front instead of the back