Sports

Athletics includes many different events, but all are based on the principle of simple physical competition. The sport is the perfect expression of the Olympic motto: Citius, Altius, Fortius – Faster, Higher, Stronger.

It requires athletes to run faster, throw further, jump higher and longer than everyone else. And people have taken part in such contests since the start of recorded history.

The first official Athletics competitions took place at the ancient Olympic Games, and the sport developed through public fairs and festivals around the world.

List of events

• men

  1. 100M

  2. HURDLES 110M

  3. 400M

  4. HURDLES 400M

  5. 800M

  6. 1500M

  7. STEEPLECHASE 3000M

  8. 5000M

  9. 10000M

  10. MARATHON

  11. RACE WALKING 20KM

  12. RACE WALKING 50KM

  13. RELAY 4X100M

  14. RELAY 4X400M

  15. SHOT PUT

  16. DISCUS THROW

  17. HAMMER THROW

  18. JAVELIN THROW

  19. LONG JUMP

  20. TRIPLE JUMP

  21. HIGH JUMP

  22. POLE VAULT

  23. DECATHLON

  24. 60M

  25. 3000M

  26. HURLDES 60M

  27. 200M

  28. HALF MARATHON

  29. 1500M WHEELCHAIR

  30. PENTATHLON

  31. HURDLES 200M

  32. STEEPLECHASE 2000M

  33. HEPTATHLON

• women

  1. POLE VAULT

  2. 60M

  3. 3000M

  4. HURLDES 60M

  5. HALF MARATHON

  6. 10000M WALK

  7. 80M HURDLES

  8. PENTATHLON

  9. STEEPLECHASE 2000M

  10. HURDLES 110M

  11. 100M

  12. HURDLES 100M

  13. 200M

  14. 400M

  15. HURDLES 400M

  16. 800M

  17. 1500M

  18. STEEPLECHASE 3000M

  19. 5000M

  20. 10000M

  21. MARATHON

  22. RACE WALKING 20KM

  23. RELAY 4X100M

  24. RELAY 4X400M

  25. SHOT PUT

  26. DISCUS THROW

  27. HAMMER THROW

  28. JAVELIN THROW

  29. LONG JUMP

  30. TRIPLE JUMP

  31. HIGH JUMP

  32. HEPTATHLON

• boys

  1. TRIPLE JUMP

  2. 100M

  3. HURDLES 110M

  4. 1500M

  5. 400M

  6. HURDLES 400M

  7. RELAY 4X200M

  8. 800M

  9. DISCUS THROW

  10. HIGH JUMP

  11. JAVELIN

  12. LONG JUMP

  13. POLE VAULT

  14. SHOT PUT

• girls

  1. SHOT PUT

  2. 100M

  3. HURDLES 100M

  4. 1500M

  5. 400M

  6. HURDLES 400M

  7. RELAY 4X200M

  8. 800M

  9. DISCUS THROW

  10. HIGH JUMP

  11. JAVELIN

  12. LONG JUMP

  13. POLE VAULT

  14. TRIPLE JUMP

• mixed

  1. MIXED RELAY 4X400M

There are two seasons for track and field. There is an indoor season, run during the winter and an outdoor season, run during the spring.

Most indoor tracks are 200 meters and consist of four to six lanes. There are also some 150 meter indoor tracks, and others as small as 120 meters have been used.

Some "oversize tracks" (larger than 200 meters) are popular for American collegiate athletics despite the fact that they are not considered valid for setting indoor records. Often an indoor track will have banked turns to compensate for the tight radius of the turns.

The banking can help prevent injuries to the athlete, while also promoting higher speeds.[citation needed] In an indoor track meet athletes contest the same track events as at an outdoor meet, with the exception of the 100 m and 110 m/100 m hurdles (replaced by the 55 or 60 m sprint and 55 or 60 m hurdles at most levels, or the 45 m sprint and hurdles at the high school level), the 10,000 m run, 3,000 m steeplechase, 400 m hurdles.

Indoor meets also have the addition of a 3,000 m run normally at both the collegiate and elite level, instead of the 10,000 m. The 5,000 m is the longest event commonly run indoors, although there are situations where longer distances have been raced.

In the mid 20th century, there was a series of "duel" races on Madison Square Garden's indoor track, some of which featured two men racing a marathon (26.2 miles).

However, this is an extremely rare occurrence, for obvious reasons. In some occasions, there may also be a 500 m race instead of the open 400 m normally found outdoors, and in many college championship races indoors both are contested.

In field events, indoor meets only feature the high jump, pole vault, long jump, triple jump, and shot put (weight throw). Due to space limitations, these events take place on the infield, within the circumferential track.

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.

List of events

• men

  1. INDIVIDUAL

  2. 1500M

  3. 3000M

  4. 4X400M RELAY

  5. 400M

  6. 60M

  7. 60M HURDLES

  8. 800M

  9. HEPTATHLON

  10. HIGH JUMP

  11. LONG JUMP

  12. POLE VAULT

  13. SHOT PUT

  14. TRIPLE JUMP

• women

  1. 1500M

  2. 3000M

  3. 4X400M RELAY

  4. 400M

  5. 60M

  6. 60M HURDLES

  7. 800M

  8. HIGH JUMP

  9. LONG JUMP

  10. PENTATHLON

  11. POLE VAULT

  12. SHOT PUT

  13. TRIPLE JUMP

• mixed

  1. 4X400M RELAY

List of events

• men

  1. 60M

  2. CROSS COUNRTY (INDIVIDUAL)

  3. CROSS COUNRTY (TEAM)

  4. HIGH JUMP

  5. LONG JUMP

  6. SHOT PUT

  7. TRIPLE JUMP

  8. 4X60M RELAY

• women

  1. CROSS COUNRTY (TEAM)

  2. HIGH JUMP

  3. LONG JUMP

  4. SHOT PUT

  5. TRIPLE JUMP

  6. 4X60M RELAY

  7. 60M

  8. CROSS COUNRTY (INDIVIDUAL)

• mixed

  1. 8X60M MIXED RELAY

In Decathlon competitions for men and Heptathlon competitions for women, athletes take part in a range of different Running, Jumping and Throwing events – 10 for men, seven for women.

They win points according to the times they run and the distances they throw and jump. Competition takes place over two days; the winner is the one with the highest total of points at the end.

Field: Jumping and Throwing events. Jumping: In High Jump, you have to get over a bar that is raised each time you succeed. You get three attempts at every height, and the winner is the one who clears the bar at the greatest height.
 
Pole Vault follows the same rules, but athletes use a long pole to help launch themselves into the air. In Long Jump, athletes sprint down a runway before jumping as far as they can into a sand pit.

Triple Jump looks very similar, but you have to complete a hop and skip before you make your jump.

All these events require a combination of speed and smooth technique.

Throwing: The throwing disciplines are Shot Put, Javelin, Discus and Hammer. Competitors get six attempts to throw the object as far as they can into a field. Speed, strength and technique are needed.

Marathon and Walking races that take place outside the stadium.

Track: Running events within the stadium. Running and Walking races are held over distances ranging from 100m to 50km.

Apart from the Marathon and Race Walk events, which take place on the road, Running events are held in the stadium, on a 400m oval track.

Most of the racing is done on the flat, but Hurdles and Steeplechase competitions require athletes to jump over barriers on the way to the finish line. To succeed it takes speed, strength and stamina – as well as a good race strategy.