Al Cantello

Who is Al Cantello?

Al Cantello is a retired American javelin thrower as a member of the United States Marine Corps. He is currently the coach of the men's distance running program at the United States Naval Academy where he has been since 1963.

He graduated from La Salle University in Philadelphia in 1955. In 1959, he set the world record in the javelin and won the bronze medal at the 1959 Pan American Games and made the US Olympic team in 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome. Despite having the second longest throw in the games during the qualifying rounds, he finished tenth. During the Rome Olympics, he suffered from dysentery and was not permitted to throw the American-style javelin, but has stated "he has no regrets". Cantello won the AAU title in 1959 and 1960, and held a world ranking of #4 for both years. In 1964, Sport magazine named Cantello to its all-time track and field team and voted him the world's greatest competitor in the javelin. He was known for his form, in which he would throw his whole body into the throw and end in a semi-handstand.

His personal best throw, with the old javelin type, was 86.04 metres, achieved in June 1959 in Compton.