Portal:Sport of athletics
Introduction
Athletics is a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross country running, and race walking.
The results of racing events are decided by finishing position (or time, where measured), while the jumps and throws are won by the athlete that achieves the highest or furthest measurement from a series of attempts. The simplicity of the competitions, and the lack of a need for expensive equipment, makes athletics one of the most commonly competed sports in the world. Athletics is mostly an individual sport, with the exception of relay races and competitions which combine athletes' performances for a team score, such as cross country.
Selected athletics events
The 4 × 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams consist of four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, the first 500 metres is run in lanes. Start lines are thus staggered over a greater distance than in an individual 400 metres race; the runners then typically move to the inside of the track. The slightly longer 4 × 440 yards relay was formerly run British and American meetings, until metrication was completed in the 1970s.
Relay race runners typically carry a relay baton which they must transfer between teammates. Runners have a 20 m box (usually marked with blue lines) in which to transfer the baton. The first transfer is made within the staggered lane lines; for the second and third transfers, runners typically line up across the track despite the fact that runners are usually running in line on the inside of the track. This prevents confusion and collisions during transfer. Unlike the 4 × 100 m relay, runners in the 4 × 400 typically look back and grasp the baton from the incoming runner, due to the fatigue of the incoming runner, and the wider margins allowed by the longer distance of the race. Consequently, disqualification is rare. Read more...- The softball throw is a track and field event used as a substitute for more technical throwing events in competitions involving Youth, Paralympic, Special Olympics and Senior competitors.
The general rules for the softball throw parallel those of the javelin throw when conducted in a formal environment, but the implement being thrown is a standard softball, which resembles the size of a standard shot but is considerably lighter. Read more... - The 20,000 metres (approximately 12.43 mi or 65,617 ft) is a rarely contested long-distance running event in track and field competitions; most world records in the event have been set during half marathons and one-hour races, as a half marathon is roughly 21,000 meters. Read more...
- The 440-yard dash, or quarter-mile race, is a sprint race in track and field competitions.
In many countries, athletes compete in the 440 yard dash (402.336 m) – which corresponds to a quarter mile. Many athletic tracks are 440 yards per lap. In the 19th century it was thought of as a middle distance race. Read more...
The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women.
On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane, once around the stadium. Runners stay in their lanes the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must clear ten hurdles that are evenly spaced around the track. The hurdles are positioned and weighted so that they fall forward if bumped into with sufficient force, to prevent injury to the runners. Although there is no longer any penalty for knocking hurdles over, runners prefer to clear them cleanly, as touching them during the race slows runners down. Read more...
The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along with the discus throw, shot put and javelin. The "hammer" used in this sport is not like any of the tools also called by that name. It consists of a metal ball attached by a steel wire to a grip. The size of the ball varies between men's and women's competitions (see Competition section below for details). Read more...
The 20 kilometre race walk is an Olympic athletics event that is competed by both men and women. The racewalking event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the supporting leg must remain straight until the raised leg passes it. 20 kilometres is 12.4274 miles. Read more...- The 15K run (15 kilometers, or approximately 9.32 miles) is a long distance foot race. It is a rarely held race that is not recognized as an Olympic event. The world best for men is held by Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda who ran a time of 41:05 at the Seven Hills Race in Nijmegen, The Netherlands. The women's world best is held by Joyciline Jepkosgei of Kenya who ran a time of 45:37+ in Prague, Czech Republic.
Between 1985 and 1991, the IAAF World Women's Road Race Championships was contested over the 15 km distance. Read more...
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 for men and since 1964 for women. On a standard outdoor running track, it is one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In many countries, athletes previously competed in the 440 yard dash (402.336 m)—which is a quarter of a mile and was referred to as the 'quarter-mile'—instead of the 400 m (437.445 yards), though this distance is now obsolete.
Maximum sprint speed capability is a significant contributing factor to success in the event, but athletes also require substantial speed endurance and the ability to cope well with high amounts of lactic acid to sustain a fast speed over a whole lap. While considered to be predominantly an anaerobic event, there is some aerobic involvement and the degree of aerobic training required for 400 metre athletes is open to debate. Read more...
Selected International athletics competitions
- The South American Half Marathon Championships (Spanish: Campeonatos Sudamericanos de Media Maratón) is an annual Road running competition organized by CONSUDATLE for athletes representing the countries of its member associations. The event was established in 1995. Read more...
- The Balkan Cross Country Championships is an annual international competition in cross country running between athletes from the Balkans. Organised by the Association of the Balkan Athletics Federations, it traces its history back to 1940 and has been held every year since 1958 (with the exception of 2010).
The championships features two races: a ten-kilometre (6.2-mile) race for men and an eight-kilometre (5-mile) race for women. The distances of the races have varied over the lifetime of the event. Originally the men's race was a 10 km race, but this changed to a 12 km (7.5 miles) race during the period from 1977 to 2008. The women's race began with a 2 km distance, increasing to 4 km in 1977, then 6 km from 1998 to 2008. National team competitions are held within the individual races, with each nation's score being the total of the finishing positions of their best three athletes. Read more... - The Pan American Race Walking Cup (Spanish: Copa Panamericana de Marcha) is a biennial race walking competition for athletes representing countries from the Americas, organized by the Association of Panamerican Athletics (APA) . It was established in 1984 and has featured races for senior men and women, and for junior athletes. The women competed in the 10 km road race until 1996, and then switched to the 20 km road race. In addition, there are separate team competitions. The 2001 event was held in conjunction with the South American Race Walking Cup. In 2011, the organization of the event was transferred from the Pan American Athletics Commission, a subdivision of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO), to the newly constituted APA.
The events between 1984 and 2007 are documented in great detail in Spanish (including a lot of historical fotos) by then President of the Pan American Race Walking Committee Rubén Pedro Aguilera from Argentina and is available from the APA website. Read more... 
The Pan American Combined Events Cup (Spanish: Copa Panamericana de Pruebas Combinadas) is a track and field competition in men's decathlon and women's heptathlon. Organized by the Association of Panamerican Athletics (APA), newly constituted in 2011, it is an annual contest for combined events athletes representing countries in the region. It is typically held in late May or June.
The competition was launched in 2005 as part of the IAAF Combined Events Challenge as NACAC Combined Events Championships, and was initially organized by the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association (NACAC), with the first edition taking place in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The event was repeated in San Juan the following year and had its third outing in 2007 in Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic. The size of the competition was expanded in 2008 as it was renamed the Pan American Combined Events Championships with the organization of the event being transferred to the Pan American Athletics Commission, a subdivision of the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO). It became open to combined events specialists representing any of the countries in the Americas. A record of 40 athletes from 15 countries took part in that edition. Read more...- The World Masters Athletics Championships are the biennial championships for masters athletics events held under the auspices of World Masters Athletics, formerly called the World Association of Veteran Athletes, for athletes over the age of 35 years.
The outdoor championships began in Toronto, Canada on August 11, 1975 and have continued in odd numbered years. In July 2011, World Masters Athletics changed their constitution to hold Championships in even numbered years, starting in 2016. Perth, Australia was selected to hold the first even year meet. Later Road Racing Championships called Non-Stadia Championships were added, starting in Birmingham, England August 29–30, 1992. Indoor Championships in even numbered years started Sindelfingen, Germany, March 10–14, 2004. Read more... - The African Race Walking Championships is a quadrennial race walking competition for athletes representing countries from Africa, organized by the Confederation of African Athletics (CAA). It was established in 1999 and has featured races for senior men (20 km) and women (10 km in 1999, 20 km from 2005 on). The 2005 edition was held jointly with the African Combined Events Championships. The 2009 edition also featured junior events (10 km men and women). The 2013 men's event was part of the IAAF World Race Walking Challenge. Nothing is known on a 2013 women's race. Read more...
- The IAAF World Road Relay Championships was a biennial international athletics competition in long-distance relay running. First organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) in 1992, the championship ran for four editions, with its last one occurring in 1998.
The relay format was based on the ekiden races native to Japan, where six runners team up for legs of varying length to cover the classic 42.195 km marathon distance. The first, third and fifth legs were of 5 km each, the second and fourth legs were 10 km each, and the final leg covered the remaining 7.195 km. Read more... - The Pan American Cross Country Cup (Copa Panamericana de Cross Country) is an international Cross country running competition organized by the Association of Panamerican Athletics (APA) for athletes representing the countries and territories of its member associations. It was established in 2015. Races are featured for senior, junior (U-20) and youth (U-18) athletes. The inaugural 2015 edition in Barranquilla, Colombia simultaneously serves as NACAC Cross Country Championships and South American Cross Country Championships. Read more...
- The IAAF Hammer Throw Challenge is an annual athletics contest organized by the International Association of Athletics Federations. First held in 2010, the series of hammer throw competitions for men and women are primary held at meetings with IAAF World Challenge status. The rankings are decided by combining the total (in metres) of each athlete's three greatest throws at the permit events during the season. Further points can be gained by those who break or equal the world record mark for the event.
The total prize money available in 2010 was US$202,000, split evenly between male and female athletes. The male and female winners each receive $30,000, while second and third placed athletes are entitled to $20,000 and $14,000 respectively. Increasingly smaller prizes are given to the remaining throwers who rank in the top twelve. The eleven meetings which had permit status in 2010 offered either a men's contest, a women's contest, or both – an arrangement which gave athletes of each sex a total of seven opportunities to score points for the challenge. Read more... - The IAAF World Athletics Final was an annual track and field competition organised by the International Association of Athletics Federations. It was inaugurated in 2003 to replace the IAAF Grand Prix Final. The competition was part of the IAAF World Athletics Series and was the culmination of the World Athletics Tour each year. Due to changes in the one-day meeting system introduced by the IAAF, the World Athletics Final was discontinued after the 2009 season. Read more...
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Selected images
Map of the six continental federations of the IAAF
A track-side judge monitoring technique at the 1912 Summer Olympics in Stockholm, Sweden.
Foekje Dillema was banned from the women's division in 1950
International level women athletes at ISTAF Berlin, 2006
Runners in the popular National Marathon race in Washington, D.C.
A typical track and field stadium with an oval running track and a grassy inner field
Competitor in a wheelchair race at the 2008 Summer Paralympics.
The athletics competition underway at the main stadium of the 2008 Summer Olympics
A typical road running course on the inner-city roads of Toronto
Competitors mid-race at a boys high school event in the United States
A typical layout of an outdoor track and field stadium
Masters marathon runner Fauja Singh.
A cross country race taking place at a snowy park in the United States.
A copy of the Ancient Greek statue Discobolus, portraying a discus thrower
Ancient Greek pottery showing the javelin and the discus throw
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Selected records in athletics
- North, Central American and Caribbean youth bests in the sport of athletics are the all-time best marks set in competition by aged 17 or younger throughout the entire calendar year of the performance and competing for a member nation of the North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletics Association (NACAC). NACAC doesn't maintain an official list for such performances. All bests shown on this list are tracked by statisticians not officially sanctioned by the governing body. Read more...
- The Asian Championships in Athletics is a quadrennial event which began in 1973. Asian Athletics Association accepts only athletes who are representing one of the organisation's Asian member states and the body recognises records set at editions of the Asian Athletics Championships. Read more...
- The Polynesian Championships in athletics records are the best marks set by athletes who are representing one of the member states of the Polynesian Championships Council during the correspondent athletics event which began in 2000. Read more...
- Central American and Caribbean records in athletics are the best marks set in an event by an athlete who competes for a member nation of the Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation (CACAC). The organisation is responsible for ratification and it analyses each record before approving it. Records may be set in any continent and at any competition, providing that the correct measures are in place (such as wind-gauges) to allow for a verifiable and legal mark. Read more...
- The Lusophony Games records in athletics are set by athletes who are representing one of the ACOLOP's member federations, which involves athletes coming from Lusophone (Portuguese-speaking) countries. Read more...
Subcategories
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