Roald Bradstock: artist, javelin thrower and fish chucker

Roald Bradstock artist, javelin thrower and world record holder for throwing a mullet 169 yards (the fish not the questionable hairstyle) is one of the sport’s enduring characters. Aged 46, Bradstock competed for Great Britain in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics and now a US citizen he finished 16th out of 24 at the US Olympic Trials earlier this summer.

A former javelin world record holder – albeit for just six weeks – the London-born athlete appeared in three different Lycra pop-art outfits for his three throws during the trials. He has also garnered a cult following on YouTube with footage of him throwing everything from a soft boiled egg (118yrds) to an iPod (154yrds) and a mobile phone (132yrds) to a golf ball (170 yrds). spikesmag.com just couldn’t resist having a chat with the guy they call ‘The Olympic Picasso.’

What came first: your interest in art or your interest in throwing things?
I think they were both born at the same time. From the age of about five or six I was throwing things and drawing and painting.

Can you remember the first thing you ever threw?
Anything and everything – stones, apples, all the typical things that a child does in his youth.

What about your art, what’s your inspiration?
The Olympics, anything to do with the Olympics. I have a new YouTube video of 82 collages of Jan Zelezny [the world men’s javelin record holder] throwing in the 2012 London Olympic colours. My art is all about reaching the youth and how they communicate. I use my imagery through cell phones, iPods, the internet and YouTube. I combine the strings of throwing objects with a more serious kind of art and bring the two together.

You are now aged 46 and will be 50 by the London 2012 Olympics. Can you still see yourself throwing then?
My main focus is to be involved in 2012 and I’d like to think whatever I can do, I can keep throwing. I want to try for one more [US] trials. As a younger athlete you can get away with much less of a fitness background but as you age the fitness factor becomes even greater. I’d say 20 years ago it was 20 per cent fitness and 80 per cent specific work. Now it’s the other way around.

Tell spikesmag.com about those kits you wore at the US Olympic Trials?
I wanted to showcase whatever I’m doing – through arts and sports.  I had three different javelins painted using my design and three different outfits which were also hand painted. I knew I would have three throws to get into the final, so my first throw was black and white, the second one was all different colours and the third one was red, white and blue. The red, white and blue wasn’t my favourite javelin but I knew I had to end on that because it was 4 July. It was the best experience I’ve ever had as an athlete and an artist. I was quizzed by the media afterwards for about an hour. Outside [the stadium] there was an area with two giant screens and a stage and I climbed on stage to look for my wife. There were a about six to ten thousand people and everyone was standing up, cheering and clapping, I thought someone was coming on stage but it was me they were clapping. Everyone had recognised me.

What motivates you to keep on throwing?
It’s an example of endurance and perseverance and, when you see the art and the outfits, that combines who I am. My future goal is to break the world record standing… it stands at 71m with the slightly lighter, old-style javelin.

You have thrown everything from an egg to a football and an iPod to a goldfish, why?
I used to throw golf balls as part of my training. I went to a room picked up a bunch of random objects – a soccer ball, an iPod, a soft boiled egg and I thought, I’m going to go out there, see how far they go and put it on YouTube.

What was the hardest object to throw?
The soccer ball was hard because I had to throw it one-handed. The egg was also hard although you might be surprised to hear one of the three eggs I threw landed fully intact and didn’t break.

How did the throwing the goldfish come about? I trust he was dead before you threw it?
Well, it was when it landed.

What objects do you plan to throw in the future?
I’ve got a whole list of objects. I’d like to throw an iPhone for one and a paper aeroplane. Anything that you could throw one handed. On YouTube you can see the football but the other objects you can hardly see at all. Some people may think I’ve staged it and did I really throw it? But I did throw them.

Is there anything you wouldn’t throw?
Yes, a cow pat!