Former Olympic javelin champion Janis Lusis dies aged 80

Image Credits: Twitter/@WorldAthletics

Former Olympic javelin champion Janis Lusis of Latvia has recently breathed his last. He was 80.

Confirming the news, the World Athletics official website stated that the 1968 Olympic javelin winner has died after battling with cancer. 

"World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Latvia’s 1968 Olympic javelin champion Janis Lusis died of cancer on Wednesday (29) at the age of 80," the World Athletics said.

Born in May 1939, Lusis was widely considered as one of the greatest javelin throwers of all time.

During his illustrious career spanning 15 years, the Latvian had bagged a full set of Olympic medals besides clinching four European titles and setting two world records.

Lusis took part in the decathlon during his early years in the sport and had also grabbed the fifth rank in the world in 1962 with a best of 7,764. However, his strongest discipline was always javeline.

Lusis, who won the first Soviet Union title in 1962 out of his 12 national titles, competed in four Olympic Games between 1964 and 1976. He won a bronze medal in Tokyo 1964, a gold in Mexico City four years later before earning a full set of Olympic medals by winning the silver in the Munich Games in 1972.

Lusis set two world records - 91.98m in 1968 and 93.80m in 1972 during his international career.

The former Latvian champion, who received the ‘Lifetime Contribution to Sport’ award at the 2009 Latvian Sports Personality of the Year ceremony, worked as a coach and official in his country after bidding adieu to the  competitive athletics.