Module 10
Module 10
Module 10
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 two- or four-stade race in which
the competitors wore armor.
Growth of Athletics
After the 1896 Olympics, the popularity of athletics, or rather, a revival of athletic
competition, took place around the world. National athletics federations from 17 countries
got together to form an international governing body and in 1912, the International
Amateur Athletic Federation was born. For many years, the pinnacle of athletics
competition was the Summer Olympics. But in the 1970s, more world championships in
various events began to take place, helping to maintain interest in track and field every
year.
By 2011, nearly 50 outdoor and 25 indoor events fall under the IAAF's authority
and rules. Some events, such as the 50-meter sprint, are no longer part of major athletic
competitions, but remain part of school programs. Some events have been modified
through the years and races of many varying distances are contested every year. In
addition to the 26.2 miles of the marathon, there is a 13.1-mile half-marathon. There are
men's and women's competitions in almost every event. Men, however, can compete in
the 10-event decathlon, while women have the seven-event heptathlon.
Athletics Today
In field events, indoor meets only feature the high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple
jump and shot put. The longer throws of javelin, hammer and discus are added only for
outdoor meets, as there is normally not enough space in an indoor stadium to house
these events.
• Pentathlon for women – (consisting of 60m hurdles, high jump, shot put, long jump
and 800m)
• Heptathlon for men – (consisting of 60m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 60m
hurdles, pole vault and 1000m)
For outdoor there is the heptathlon for women and decathlon for men
Most tracks are ovals of 400 meters in circumference. However, some older tracks
are 440 yards in length, while there are some tracks that are neither oval nor 400m/440y
due to geographic considerations. Modern
tracks are made with a rubberized surface,
while older tracks may be made of dirt or
cinders. Tracks normally consist of 6-10
lanes and many include a steeplechase lane
with a water pit on one of the turns. This
steeplechase pit can be placed either inside
or outside the track, making for a tighter turn
or a wider turn. It is common that tracks will
surround a playing field used for American
football, football (soccer), or lacrosse. This
inner field is usually known as the infield and
has a surface of either grass or artificial turf.
Typical Oval Track. Not all tracks are oval. Some consist of
two semicircles joined by straight segments
The javelin, hammer and discus throws are often contested on fields outside of the
track stadium because they take up a large amount of space, the implements may
damage the infield, and the implements could end up landing on the track.
Events
Track Events
• Road running: Conducted on open roads, but often finishing on the track.
Common events are over 5 km, 10 km, half-marathon and marathon, and
less commonly over 15 km, 20 km, 10 miles, and 20 miles. The marathon
is the only common road-racing distance run in major international athletics
championships such as the Olympics.
• Race walking: Usually conducted on open roads. Common events are 10 km,
20km, and 50 km
Field Events
Throwing Events
• Shot put:
➢ Competitors take their throwing a heavy metal ball (of varying weights
depending on the level of competition) from inside a circle seven feet in
diameter, with a toe board approximately four-inches high at the front of the
circle.
➢ The distance thrown is measured from the inside of the circumference of the
circle to where the shot lands at its nearest disturbance of the soil.
• Hammer throw:
• Javelin throw:
• Discus throw:
➢ The discus, the object to be thrown, is a heavy lenticular disc with a diameter
of 8.66 inches and a weight of four pounds, seven ounces for the men's event,
and two pounds, three ounces for the women's, with a smaller diameter of
7.17 inches.
➢ To make a throw, the competitor starts in a slightly recessed concrete-
surfaced circle of eight feet, 2½ inches diameter. The thrower typically takes
an initial stance facing away from the direction of the throw. He then spins
around one and a half times through the circle to build momentum, then
releases his throw.
Jumping Events
• High jump:
• Pole vault:
➢ An event where a person uses a long, flexible pole (which today are usually
made either of fiberglass or carbon fiber) as an aid to leap over a bar.
Although there are many techniques used by vaulters at various skill levels
to clear the bar, the generally accepted technical model can be broken
down into several phases: The approach, the plant and take-off, the swing
and throw, the extension, the turn, and the fly-away.
• Long jump:
➢ Competitors sprint down a runway (usually coated with the same rubberized
surface as running tracks, crumb rubber, or vulcanized rubber) and jump as
far as they can off of a wooden board into a pit filled with finely ground gravel
or sand.
➢ The distance traveled by a jumper is often referred to as the “mark,”
because it is the distance to which the first mark is made in the sand. More
specifically, a mark is the minimum distance from the edge of the takeoff
board nearest the landing pit, to the first indentation made by the competitor.
If the competitor starts the leap with any part of the foot in front of the board,
the jump is declared illegal and no distance is recorded.
• Triple jump:
➢ Previously also known as "hop, step, and jump," whose various names
describe the actions a competitor takes, in the triple jump the athlete runs
down a runway until he reaches a designated mark, from which the jump
is measured.
➢ The takeoff mark is a board, and in modern championships a strip of
plasticine or modeling clay is attached to the board to record athletes
overstepping the mark.
➢ The first landing has to be done with the takeoff foot. The next phase is a
step, landing on the opposite foot, and is followed by the jump into a sand-
filled box, as in the long jump.
➢ A "foul," or missed jump, occurs when a jumper oversteps the launch mark
(most commonly), misses the pit entirely, or does not perform the attempt
in the allotted amount of time (usually about one minute).
• Other jumping events, now uncommon, include the Standing high jump, Standing
long jump, and the Standing triple jump.
Combined or Multi-Events
• Pentathlon:
➢ In addition to the Modern Pentathlon, there has also been an athletics
pentathlon event for women in the modern Olympic Games.
➢ The first Olympic competition was at the 1964 Summer Olympics in Tokyo.
The events of the pentathlon, in order, were: 80-meter hurdles, shot put,
high jump, long jump, and the 200 meters. The javelin and the 800 meters
were added in the 1984 Summer Olympics to create the women's
heptathlon. The hurdles race also became 100 meters.
• Heptathlon:
➢ The first is an outdoor competition for women, and is the combined event
for women contested in the Athletics program of the Olympics and in the
IAAF World Championships in Athletics. The IAAF World Combined Events
Challenge determines a yearly women's heptathlon champion. The
women's outdoor heptathlon consists of the following events, with the first
four contested on the first day, and the remaining three on day two: 100 m
hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200 m, long jump, javelin throw, and 800 m.
➢ The other version is an indoor competition, normally contested only by
men. It is the men's combined event in the IAAF World Indoor
Championships in Athletics. The men's indoor heptathlon consists of the
following events, with the first four contested on the first day, and remaining
three on day two: 60 m, long jump, shot put, high jump, 60 m hurdles, pole
vault, and 1000 m. The scoring is similar for both versions. In each event,
the athlete scores points for his/her performance in each event according
to scoring tables issued by the International Association of Athletics
Federations (IAAF). The athlete accumulating the highest number of points
wins the competition.
• Decathlon:
➢ This event combines 10 track-and-field events, which are held over two
consecutive days with the winners determined by the combined
performance in all events. Performance is judged on a points system in
each event, not by the position achieved.
➢ The decathlon is contested by male athletes, while female athletes contest
the Heptathlon. The decathlon is a menu of athletic events, testing an
individual’s speed, strength, skill, endurance, and personality.
➢ The decathlon includes five events on each of two successive days. The
first day schedules the 100-meter run, long jump, shot put, high jump, and
400 meters. It is a day of speedy movement, explosive power, and jumping
ability.
References:
Gadiano,Henry G. Health and Physical Education for Fitness and Wellness, Brilliant Creations Publishing
Inc.
https://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/athletics_(track_and_field)
https://www.sportsrec.com/6647069/the-history-of-athletics