Athletics- the sport of competing in track and field events, including running races

and various competitions in jumping and throwing.

-Athletics is often used synonymously with any sporting activity, but in most cases,
athletics refers primarily to track-and-field events that involve running, jumping or
throwing. Those athletic events are most closely associated with the Olympics, but
competition in these sports is held at the youth level, high school, college, and
professional ranks all year round throughout the world.

History of Athletics
The Ancient Greeks
The first Olympics in ancient Greece go back at least as far as the eighth or ninth
century B.C. While such sports as boxing and equestrian events were included, most
of the events were those now classified under athletics or track and field. They
included running, jumping, discus and the javelin. Those four, plus wrestling, made
up the pentathlon. The running events included "stades," which were essentially
sprints from one end of the stadium to the other, a distances of about 190 meters;
two-stade races; longer-distance races of between seven and 24 stades; and a twoor four-stade race in which the competitors wore armor.

The Modern Olympics

Running and other athletic events have long been a part of many cultures, but in
the 19th century, such activities were becoming more popular, particularly in
Europe and the United States. School curricula included athletics and in 1896, the
first Modern Olympics were held in Athens, Greece. Events included the 100-meters,
400 meters, 800 meters, 1,500 meters, 110-meter hurdles, pole vault, discus, shot
put, javelin, long jump, triple jump and high jump. Fourteen nations were
represented.
Events in Athletics
List of Events in Track & Field
- Track and field events allow athletes to use their running, jumping and
throwing skills to win competitions. Track meets take place on an athletic
track that may be located indoors or outdoors. Track and field events can be
performed as individual sports or as a team sport. These sports don't require
the amount of skill building that some other sports do, which makes it easier
for kids or adults of any age to begin participating in the events.
Sprints
The shortest and quickest track events are the dashes or sprints. The lengths of
sprinting events in track and field are 100, 200 and 400 meters. Runners begin the
race at the sound of the starter pistol, reach their full stride immediately and
maintain their fastest speed until they cross the finish line.
100 metres.
This is the shortest sprint distance. Due to its fast, explosive nature it is favoured by
the media and viewing public. It was included in the very first Games of 1896,

although only for men. The womens event was first included in the 1928 Games,
Amsterdam. Each competitor keeps to his/her own lane.
200 metres.
It is the modern version of the ancient or 200-stride stadium race (see
above). The 200m race follows the same rules as the 100m, and many athletes
compete in both. The mens event was included in the second Olympic Games, at
Paris in 1900. The womens event made its first appearance in the London Games of
1948.
400 metres.
It can be considered the modern equivalent of the or double foot-race. It
was included in the first Games of 1896 in the mens version, while the womens
event was first run in the 1964 Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Middle-distance
Middle-distance races are the 800 meter, 1,600 meter and the 3,200 meter. Some
track and field meets also include a 1,000 and 2,000 meter in their middle-length
runs. Middle-distance runners have to learn how to pace themselves during their
races; they must maintain a consistent speed without wearing themselves out
during the event.
800 metres.
Athletes running the 800m race use a combination of tactics to utilise speed and
endurance to their advantage. It spans two laps of the stadium. It was one of the
original events in the 1896 Games for men, while the womens 800m was first run in
1960 in Rome.
1500 metres.
Middle-distance runners frequently compete in both the 1500m and the 800m
races. This event was included in the 1896 Games for the men. The womens
1500m was first included in the 1972 Olympics, Munich.
Long-distance
Long-distance races include runs that range from 5,000 to 10,000 meters to 26-mile
marathons. Endurance is the primary requirement for those who wish to run longdistance races. Long-distance marathons are normally run on preset, paved routes
with hills and twists and turns. Cross-country races are normally under 15
kilometers and are run on both level and rolling, hill-filled courses.
5000 metres.
This race could be considered the modern-day equivalent of the ancient ,
the 20 or 24 stadium lap race. It made its debut as an Olympic mens event in the
1912 Stockholm Games. A 3000m womens event was run at the 1984 Los Angeles
Games, but today the mens and womens events are both 5000 metres long.
10000 metres
It is the longest run held inside the stadium. For men, it was first included in the
1912 Stockholm Games, and for women it debuted at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.
Road events
Marathon
The most famous of the long-distance races, the Marathon is always run on public
roads and traditionally is the final event of the Olympic Games. In addition to the
Olympic competition, most major cities hold Marathon races, and many, such as the
London and the Boston Marathon are famous the world over. In these events, the
general public and the media have a chance to admire some of the most

accomplished professional athletes, such as Britains Paula Radcliffe and Kenyas

Martin Lel. These major Marathon races offer high prize money, with up to $500.000
(approximately 254.000) being awarded to the winners in both the mens and the
womens races.
Half marathon
The half-marathon is a road race covering half the distance of a Marathon, or
approximately 13 miles (21 kilometres). It is favoured by experienced amateurs, as
it does not demand the high level of training of the full Marathon but is still a
serious challenge.
Hurdle races
110 metres hurdles men; 100 metres hurdles women.
Each competitor must remain in his/her own lane and has to jump over ten hurdles.
One of the original Olympic events for the men, the womens race debuted in the
1932 Los Angeles Games.
400 metres hurdles.
Similar rules as the above event, the ten hurdles are lower. First run in the 1900
Paris Games in the mens case, while the women first competed at the Olympic
level in the 1984 Los Angeles Games.
3000 metres steeplechase
The steeplechase, a mens only event, involves jumping four hurdles of 91.4 cm in
height and an artificial water hazard
Relays or team races
Originally, relays were a way to get messages across long distances via a series of
couriers, each covering part of the distance to the final destination intended for the
message. In modern relays, a rod or baton takes the role of the message. Each team
divides the race distance equally amongst its four runners, who pass the baton to
each other in turn, according to precise rules and techniques. There are two
versions of this team race:
4 x 100 metres
The mens version debuted in the 1912 Stockholm Games, while the womens race
was first run in 1928 Amsterdam
4 x 400 metres

Jumping Events
For those athletes who prefer jumping to running, track and field offers a variety of
jumping events. The long jump requires athletes to race down the track and then
jump from a takeoff board to propel their body through the air as they try to cover
the greatest distance possible. The triple jump is a series of three fast jumps done in
a continuous motion. The high jump requires competitors to sprint and leap over a
bar, which is raised after each jump until a winner is established. Athletes perform
the pole vault using a long fiberglass pole to propel themselves over a raised bar.
Long Jump The long jump (historically called the broad jump) is a track and field
event in which athletes combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap
as far as possible from a take off point. Along with the triple jump, the two events
that measure jumping for distance as a group are referred to as the "horizontal
jumps". This event has a history in the Ancient Olympic Games and has been a
modern Olympic event for men since the first Olympics in 1896 and for women
since 1948.

Triple jump- sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip
and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two
events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps." The competitor runs down the
track and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit. The triple
jump was inspired by the ancient Olympic Games and has been a modern Olympics
event since the Games' inception in 1896.
According to IAAF rules, "the hop shall be made so that an athlete lands first on the
same foot as that from which he has taken off; in the step he shall land on the other
foot, from which, subsequently, the jump is performed.
The current male and female world record holders are Jonathan Edwards of Great
Britain, with a jump of 18.29 m (60 ft 0 in), and Inessa Kravets of Ukraine, with a
jump of 15.50 m (50 ft 10 in). Both records were set during 1995 World
Championships in Gothenburg.
High jump- is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over
a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern
most practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat for
landing. In the modern era, athletes run towards the bar and use the Fosbury Flop
method of jumping, leaping head first with their back to the bar. Performed since
ancient times, competitors have introduced increasingly more effective techniques
to arrive at the current form.
The discipline is, alongside the pole vault, one of two vertical clearance events to
feature on the Olympic athletics programme. It is contested at the World
Championships in Athletics and IAAF World Indoor Championships, and is a common
occurrence at track and field meetings. The high jump was among the first events
deemed acceptable for women, having been held at the 1928 Olympic Games.
Javier Sotomayor (Cuba) is the current men's record holder with a jump of
2.45 m (8 ft 014 in) set in 1993 the longest standing record in the history of the
men's high jump. Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria) has held the women's world record
at 2.09 m (6 ft 1014 in) since 1987, also the longest-held record in the event.
Throwing Events
Throwing events allow athletes to throw an object a distance to achieve a victory
over the competition. The javelin is a long steel-tipped spear that the athlete throws
while running. Hammer throwers toss a heavy ball that's attached to a handle by a
wire. The shot put requires athletes to toss a heavy metal ball by tucking it under
their chin and spinning to gain speed before they release the ball. The discus is a
metal disc that is thrown by using a swinging, spinning action.
The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about 2.5 m
(8 ft 2 in) in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running
within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's
decathlon and the women's heptathlon.
The Hammer Throw -a field event in which a usually 16-pound metal sphere
attached to a flexible handle is thrown for distance.
The shot put) is a track and field event involving "throwing"/"putting" (throwing in
a pushing motion) a heavy spherical object the shotas far as possible. The shot
put competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival
in 1896, and women's competition began in 1948.

The discus throw is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy
disccalled a discusin an attempt to mark a farther distance than their
competitors. It is an ancient sport, as demonstrated by the fifth-century-B.C. Myron
statue, Discobolus. Although not part of the modern pentathlon, it was one of the
events of the ancient Greek pentathlon, which can be dated back to at least to 708
BC.[1]
Pole Vault- an athletic event in which competitors attempt to vault over a high bar
with the end of an extremely long flexible pole held in the hands and used to give
extra spring.
a vault performed in the pole vault athletic event.