The javelin throw is set to incorporate a new technological dimension through World Athletics and TDK, which will present a smart javelin equipped with sensors capable of recording and analyzing different aspects of each throw in real time. The demonstration will take place during the Ultimate Athletics World Championships, which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, from September 11 to 13, 2026, and will feature some of the world’s leading specialists in the discipline.
The initiative is part of the relationship TDK has maintained with World Athletics since 1983 and aims to bring the public information that typically remains outside the official results of a competition. Beyond the distance achieved, the technology will make it possible to observe variables such as the launch angle, speed, rotation, height and flight trajectory of the javelin, providing a more detailed understanding of what happens during the moments between the throw and the javelin’s landing.
A new look at javelin throwing technique
TDK’s smart javelin is the result of a development process that began before the Tokyo 25 World Athletics Championships, when the company and World Athletics collaborated on a project aimed at exploring new ways to visualize data associated with the throw. The initiative was based on a specific question: how to use sensor technology to make visible performance elements that normally do not appear in a results table. Since then, improvements to the sensor module and software have enabled TDK to develop a system capable of analyzing the javelin’s movement as it happens and turning that data into easy-to-understand visualizations.
The value of this information goes beyond knowing how far the javelin has traveled. The angle at which it leaves the athlete’s hand, the speed it reaches, its amount of rotation, the height it achieves and the trajectory it follows make it possible to describe the execution of a throw more precisely. For athletes, this data can provide new references for understanding their technique and performance; for spectators, it offers a closer look at the physical and technical complexity behind an elite javelin throw. During the demonstration in Budapest, the measurements will be processed in real time and the visualizations will be available at the venue.
Top specialists will test the technology in Budapest
The demonstration will take place on Friday, September 11, 2026, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., in the training and warm-up area of the Gyula Zsivotzky National Athletics Centre. The session will feature leading international javelin throwers, including Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, ranked number one in the world in men’s javelin throw in 2026; Keshorn Walcott, 2025 world champion and 2012 Olympic champion; and Hungarian representatives Máté Horváth, 2025 national champion, Fanni Kövér, 2024 Hungarian champion, and Máté Járvás, 2026 Hungarian bronze medalist. Haruka Kitaguchi, 2024 Olympic champion and 2023 world champion, will also attend to explain the sensor technology, although she will not make any throws during the session.
The experience is part of TDK’s long-term vision, known as “TDK Transformation,” and its brand identity, “In Everything, Better,” within the “TDK Sensing Within” concept. From this perspective, the company seeks to apply its sensor technologies to different products and fields in collaboration with its partners. In athletics, this line of work has gradually become part of its partnership with World Athletics, which for more than four decades has included initiatives aimed not only at supporting competitions but also at exploring new ways to interpret and showcase athletic performance. The Ultimate Athletics World Championships will provide the setting to once again bring this technology into competition, in an event that will bring together world champions, Olympic champions and Wanda Diamond League winners in Budapest to compete for the title of champion of champions.
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