Randall's Island Park

The Discus Thrower statue was created by Greek sculptor Kostas Dimitriadis (circa 1880-1943). Dimitriadis, who studied and worked in Paris and London, was inspired by models from classical antiquity, as well as by more modern sculptors such as Auguste Rodin (1840-1917). Around 1930 Dimitriadis became director of the Athens School of Fine Arts.

This sculpture was awarded the gold medal in a sculpture competition held at the 1924 Olympic Games in Paris, France. The bronze male nude was later installed in Central Park behind the Metropolitan Museum of Art in 1926, sponsored by Ery Kehaya. The noted architectural firm of McKim, Mead, and White designed the statue’s granite pedestal. It includes inset bronze decorative and symbolic motifs of an urn, wreath, and rosette. A second casting of the statue may be seen outside the Zappeion gardens facing the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece.

In 1936, when Municipal Stadium (also known as Triborough and later renamed Downing Stadium) was erected on Randalls Island, the sculpture was placed prominently in front. The stadium opened in July 1936 and hosted the American Olympic Track and Field Trials that year.

Over the years the sculpture was exposed to acid rain, assaulted with graffiti, and vandals stole the discus, broke the statue’s arm, and severed the genitalia. In 1970 the statue was removed to storage for safekeeping. In 1999 the sculpture was restored and all missing components were replicated under a project sponsored by the Randalls Island Sports Foundation (later renamed Randalls Island Park Alliance), and businessman and philanthropist (and future New York City mayor) Michael Bloomberg.

The restored monument was placed at a new, prominent landscaped setting at the entrance to Randalls Island. A rededication ceremony held on July 21, 1999 included four-time Olympic gold medalist discus thrower Al Oerter (1936-2007) and nine-time New York City Marathon victor and Olympic silver medalist Grete Waitz (1953-2011).

In 2024 the sculpture—threatened by a multi-year bridge and roadway reconstruction-- was again moved and displayed within a circular, raised planting bed at the entrance plaza of Icahn Stadium. The dynamic statue has become a symbol of the renaissance of this municipal park, with its silhouette serving as the logo of the Randall’s Island Park Alliance.