Johannes Vetter, the unenviable fourth-placer in the Olympic javelin competition in Rio last summer, caused a ruckus on track and field Twitter on Tuesday by improving his best from 89.68m to 94.44m at the Spitzen Leichtathletik meeting in Lucerne, Switzerland.

The 24-year-old German is now the No. 2-ranked man in world history in the javelin, and his performance ranks No. 6 all-time, as the top five throws are all owned by world-record holder Jan Železny of the Czech Republic, who threw his world-beater of 98.48m in 1996. 



But it wasn't just one magic throw that has the world aghast. Vetter's progression in the event saw him throw over 90.00m four consecutive times: 90.75m, 91.06m, 93.06m, and then, his winning mark of 94.44m. A fatigued Vetter then closed the competition with a throw of 89.50m. Remember, prior to the competition in Lucerne, he had never thrown over 90.00m before.

Most 90m+ throws within one javelin series:

5 - Jan Zelezny Stellenbosch 1997
4 - Johannes Vetter Lucerne 2017
4 - Jan Zelezny Tokyo 1995

— Jon Mulkeen (@Statman_Jon) July 11, 2017

Only Železny himself has thrown over 90.00m four or more times in one series, in 1995 and 1997.

The runner-up in the competition was reigning Olympic champion Thomas Rohler, also of Germany, who mustered 89.45m on the day. Vetter's compatriot had stunned the world earlier this year in Doha, where he heaved a tremendous personal best of 93.90m to land the No. 7 mark in world history and take over the No. 2 all-time performer position.



Now, of course, he'll have to settle for third and also relinquish his national record to Vetter.

"I had a lot of adrenaline after the first two attempts," Vetter told the IAAF. "The first throw over 90 meters pushed me. I achieved my goal of this season and set the German record. I am without words. It's incredible that I produced four throws over 90 meters two days after winning the German title.

"The reason for German success is that we have a good team. We are good friends and we have good coaches. After the warm-up I expected to throw 90 meters, but 94.44 in incredible. I need some days for it to sink it in. The javelin throw will be one of the greatest highlights of the World Championships in London."


The duo have created a thrilling rivalry this season for athletics fans, as Rohler won their first five contests in 2017--including the Diamond League meetings in Doha and Rome--while Vetter has captured wins in their last three head-to-head battles at the German national championships, the Paris Diamond League and, on Tuesday, in Lucerne.
 

Rohler left a foreboding message on social media. "The WR hunt is on for team germany javelin," he captioned a video of himself throwing for second place in Switzerland.

Watch out, Železny...