The first world record in the men's discus throw was recognised by the International Association of Amateur Athletics (IAAF), now known as World Athletics, in 1912, and was set by James Duncan in 1912 (47.58 m).
As of 2025, 42 world records have been ratified by World Athletics in the event. Another 14 are acknowledged but are unofficial, since they were set before the founding of IAAF.
Outdoor progression
Ratified Not ratified Ratified but later rescinded Pending ratification
Mark Athlete Date Location 27 May 1912 New York City 14 September 1924 Chicago 2 May 1925 San Francisco 3 April 1926 Palo Alto 9 March 1929 17 May 1930 23 August 1930 Pittsburgh 25 August 1934 Oslo 28 April 1935 Magdeburg 20 June 1941 Palo Alto 26 October 1941 Milan 14 April 1946 8 June 1946 Minneapolis 10 October 1948 Milan 9 July 1949 Lisbon 14 August 1949 Hämeenlinna 20 June 1953 Lincoln 11 July 1953 Pasadena 22 August 1953 14 June 1959 Warsaw 12 August 1960 Walnut 11 August 1961 Frankfurt, West Germany 20 August 1961 Brussels, Belgium 18 May 1962 Los Angeles 4 June 1962 Leningrad, USSRM Discus world record progress 1 July 1962 Chicago 27 April 1963 Walnut 25 April 1964 2 August 1964 Turnov, Czechoslovakia 12 October 1965 Sokolov, Czechoslovakia 25 May 1968 Modesto 18 September 1968 Reno 5 July 1972 Stockholm 14 March 1975 Stellenbosch 3 May 1975 Long Beach 24 April 1976 Walnut 1 May 1976 San Jose 9 August 1978 Berlin 29 May 1983 Moscow 6 June 1986 Neubrandenburg, East Germany 14 April 2024 Ramona 13 April 2025
On 7 July 1981, Ben Plucknett of the United States won a meet in Stockholm with a world record throw of , but the record was nullified by the I.A.A.F. one week later when they announced that Plucknett had tested positive for the banned anabolic steroid nortestosterone.
On 13 April 2025, Mykolas Alekna broke his own world record of 74.35 m from the previous year twice, throwing 74.89 and 75.56 m. At the same event, Australian Matthew Denny also threw , in excess of the old world record. However, Alekna by that point had already surpassed that mark.
Indoor world best progress RecordAthleteDateMeetPlace9 January 1980Berlin, Germany22 March 2009World Record Indoor ChallengeVäxjö, Sweden
See also Women's discus throw world record progression
References
Discus throw records IAAF.org