Olympic Sport since 1896
Athletics is, in many ways, the embodiment of the Olympic motto, "Citius,
Altius, Fortius", meaning faster, higher, stronger.
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| Sweden's Carolina Kluft competes in the long jump event of the
women's heptathlon at the European athletics championships in Gothenburg
August 8, 2006. [Reuters] |
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Athletics (or track and field) is about running faster, jumping higher and
throwing further than your competitors. The ancient Games at Olympia began
simply with foot races, only occasionally complicated by dressing the runners in
infantry armour or making them carry soldiers' shields.
Today, athletics remains one of the most popular Olympic sports. From the
100m dash to the 42.195km marathon, from the hammer throw to the high jump, it
contains many of the Olympic Games' blue-ribbon events and many of the
highest-profile competitors.
COMPETITION
Athletics can be divided into four areas: track, field, road and combined
events.
Track events
Include sprints (100m, 200m, 400m), middle-distance running
(800m and 1500m) and long-distance running (5000m and 10,000m), hurdling (100m
and 400m for women, 110m and 400m for men), relays (4 x 100m and 4 x 400m) and
the 3000m steeplechase.
Field events
For both men and women, include the long jump, triple jump,
high jump, pole vault, shot put, discus, javelin and hammer throw. The women's
pole vault and hammer throw debuted at the Sydney 2000 Games.
Road events
Consist of the men's and women's marathons, the men's 20km and
50km race walks and the women's 10km race walk.
Combined events
The heptathlon for women and the decathlon for men -
athletes compete in a series of track and field events over two days. Points are
based upon their finishes in each event, and the person with the most points
wins.
LIST OF EVENTS
|
Men |
Women |
|
10000m
100m
110m
hurdles
1500m
200m
20km
walk
3000m
steeplechase
400m
400m
hurdles
4x100m relay
4x400m
relay
5000m
50km
walk
800m
decathlon
discus
throw
hammer throw
high
jump
javelin throw
long
jump
marathon
pole vault
shot
put
triple jump |
10000m
100m
100m
hurdles
1500m
200m
20km
walk
3000m
steeplechase
400m
400m
hurdles
4x100m relay
4x400m
relay
5000m
800m
heptathlon
discus
throw
hammer throw
high
jump
javelin throw
long
jump
marathon
pole vault
shot
put
triple jump |
