Heino Puuste

Who is Heino Puuste?

Heino Puuste is a retired Estonian javelin thrower who represented the USSR and later Estonia. He finished fourth at both the 1980 Summer Olympics and the 1983 World Championships, and won a silver medal at the 1982 European Championships. He also won bronze medals at the Universiade in 1979 and 1981. On May 6, 1983, he threw at Birmingham a new Soviet record of 94.20 meters, eclipsing the old mark of 93.80 by Jānis Lūsis. This record was never beaten as increasing distances and frequent flat or ambiguous landings prompted a change to a new javelin design, effective starting in 1986. Puuste later became an athletics coach, most notably coaching the 2005 javelin throw world champion Andrus Värnik.