Smart javelin to debut at Ultimate Champs

TDK Corporation has been announced as an official global supporter of the World Athletics Ultimate Championship and will use the event to showcase the ‘TDK Smart Javelin’, a javelin equipped with TDK sensors that can visualise performance data.

The technology will be featured during a special javelin demonstration session at the World Athletics Ultimate Championship, which will be held in Budapest, Hungary, from September 11-13.

Ahead of the World Athletics Championships Tokyo 25, TDK collaborated with World Athletics on a project aimed at visualising javelin-throw data through sensor technology. The initiative explored how previously unseen performance data could be captured and presented to enhance understanding of the event for both athletes and spectators.

Since then, improvements to the sensor module and software have enabled TDK to analyse and visualise a javelin’s movement in real time. While conventional competition results record the distance of each throw, the technology can also provide data on release angle, rotation, speed, height and flight trajectory.

The additional information can give athletes deeper insights into their technique and performance, while helping spectators better understand the technical and physical demands of the event.

Leading javelin throwers from around the world will participate in the demonstration session. Data collected from the javelins, including release angle, rotation, speed, height and flight trajectory, will be analysed in real time, with visualisations displayed at the venue.

The technology is expected to offer spectators a new perspective on the techniques and performances behind elite-level javelin throwing.

The project forms part of TDK’s long-term vision, ‘TDK Transformation’, and its ‘In Everything, Better.’ brand identity. Through its ‘TDK Sensing Within’ concept, the company is working with partners to apply its sensor technology to products and solutions across a range of sectors.

TDK has been an official partner of World Athletics since 1983 and has supported the development of athletics for more than four decades. In recent years, the partnership has increasingly incorporated technology-driven initiatives designed to provide new insights into athlete performance and the sport.

The World Athletics Ultimate Championship is a new global event intended to reshape the athletics calendar and determine the sport’s top performer every two years. It will bring together world champions, Olympic champions, Wanda Diamond League winners and the year’s highest-ranked athletes to compete for the title of champion of champions.

The Ultimate, which will take place in Budapest from September 11-13, features a historic prize purse of US$10 million.