Introduction
Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross-country running, and racewalking.
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 common types of 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.
Organized athletics are traced back to the Ancient Olympic Games from 776 BC. The rules and format of the modern events in athletics were defined in Western Europe and North America in the 19th and early 20th century, and were then spread to other parts of the world. Most modern top level meetings are held under the auspices of World Athletics, the global governing body for the sport of athletics, or its member continental and national federations. (Full article...)
General images -
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The Roy Griak Invitational cross country meet at the University of Minnesota in September 2007 (from Cross country running) -
Men assuming the starting position for a sprint race (from Track and field) -
A women's 400 m hurdles race at the 2007 Dutch Championships (from Track and field) -
Men traversing the water jump in a steeplechase competition (from Track and field) -
Marion Jones, after admitting to doping, lost her Olympic medals, was banned from the sport, and spent six months in jail. (from Track and field) -
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Edvin Wide, Ville Ritola, and Paavo Nurmi (on left) competing in the individual cross country race at the 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris; due to the hot weather, which exceeded 40 °C (104 °F), only 15 out of 38 competitors finished the race. (from Cross country running) -
Arne Andersson (left) and Gunder Hägg (right) broke a number of middle distance world records in the 1940s. (from Track and field) -
The Gordon Indoor Track sports an 80-yard sprint straight, and the track is 220 yards in length. (from Track and field) -
A javelin throw athlete (from Track and field) -
Oscar Pistorius running in the first round of the 400 m at the 2012 Summer Olympics (from Track and field) -
Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele leading in a long-distance track event (from Track and field) -
Shaul Ladany (centre), in 1969 (from Racewalking) -
A graph of the world record progression in the men's 100 metres (from Track and field) -
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Runners at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships in Albufeira, Portugal (from Cross country running) -
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The start of a typical cross country race, as an official fires a gun to signal the start (from Cross country running) -
The New York State Federation Championship cross country meet in November 2010 (from Cross country running) -
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A typical layout of an outdoor track and field stadium (from Track and field) -
Carl Lewis, one of the athletes who helped increase track and field's profile (from Track and field) -
A racewalker "flying" (entirely out of contact with the ground, a rule violation) (from Racewalking) -
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A child taking part in a local schools meeting in Cambodia (from Track and field) -
Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, one of the first modern track and field stadiums (from Track and field) -
The 100 m final at the 2008 Summer Olympics (from Track and field) -
American athlete Jim Thorpe lost his Olympic medals after taking expense money prior to the 1912 Summer Olympics for playing baseball, a violation of Olympic amateurism rules. (from Track and field) -
A children's cross country competition in Čakovec, Croatia (from Cross country running) -
An ancient Greece vase from 600 BC depicting a running contest (from Track and field) -
Girls handing over the baton in a relay race in Leipzig in 1950 (from Track and field) -
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The finish of a women's 100 m race (from Track and field) -
Naide Gomes in the jumping phase of the event (from Track and field)
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Selected article
Starting blocks are a device used in the sport of track and field by sprint athletes to brace their feet against at the start of a race so they do not slip as they stride forward at the sound of the starter's pistol. The blocks also enable the sprinters to adopt a more efficient starting posture and isometrically preload their muscles in an enhanced manner. This allows them to start more powerfully and increases their overall sprint speed capability.
For most levels of competition, including the whole of high-level international competition, starting blocks are mandatory equipment for the start of sprint races. Their invention is credited to Australian Charlie Booth and his father in 1929. Prior to this, runners would dig holes in the dirt track. Trowels were provided at the start of races. This was not the most consistent or stable system. It also was destructive to the track surface with the holes having to be filled for subsequent runners. When George Simpson became the first person to run 9.4 seconds for the 100-yard dash in 1930, his record was disallowed because he used starting blocks.
Modern blocks used for world records now must have sensors that detect the pressure from the athlete and can be used to time their reaction to the starting gun. Athletes who react faster than one-tenth of a second can be charged with a false start and the race recalled. Many also carry electronic speakers so the sound of the gun arrives at the ears of the athletes at exactly the same time. Some races for hearing-impaired athletes have also used starting light systems, similar to motorsport's Christmas Tree. (Full article...)
| More selected articles |
Selected picture
Athlete birthdays
3 October:
- Tyler Christopher, Canadian sprinter
- Robbie Grabarz, British high jumper
- Abdon Pamich, Italian race walker
- Viktor Saneyev, Soviet triple jumper
- Ralph Spearow, American pole vaulter
- Janeene Vickers, American hurdler
4 October:
- Thane Baker, American sprinter
- Olga Kuzenkova, Russian hammer thrower
- Charles McGinnis, American pole vaulter and high jumper
- Steve Seymour, American javelin thrower
- Sergey Shubenkov, Russian hurdler
- Jorma Valkama, Finnish long jumper
5 October:
- Rein Aun, Soviet decathlete
- Mike Conley, American long- and triple jumper
- Olga Gyarmati, Hungarian long jumper
- Philippe Houvion, French pole vaulter
- Denis Kapustin, Russian triple jumper
- Nadezhda Konyayeva, Soviet javelin thrower
- Inessa Kravets, Ukrainian long- and triple jumper
- Letitia Vriesde, Surinamese middle-distance runner
6 October:
- Valerie Adams, New Zealand shot putter
- Katrin Dörre-Heinig, German distance runner
- Michael Frater, Jamaican sprinter
- Wilson Boit Kipketer, Kenyan steeplechase runner
- William Petersson, Swedish long jumper
- Bevil Rudd, South African 400/800 runner
- Sunette Viljoen, South African javelin thrower
- Viktor Yevsyukov, Soviet javelin thrower
7 October:
- Valeria Bufanu, Romanian hurdler
- William Droegemueller, American pole vaulter
- Erik Elmsäter, Swedish steeplechase runner
- Daniele Meucci, Italian distance runner
- Sanderlei Parrela, Brazilian sprinter
- Olesya Zykina, Russian sprinter
8 October:
- Ira Davenport, American middle-distance runner
- Tatiana Grigorieva, Russian-Australian pole vaulter
- Reese Hoffa, American shot putter
- Lennox Miller, Jamaican sprinter
- Koji Murofushi, Japanese hammer thrower
- Elvira Ozolina, Soviet javelin thrower
- Emiel Puttemans, Belgian distance runner
- Geoff Vanderstock, American hurdler
9 October:
- Sylvio Cator, Haitian long jumper
- Dionicio Cerón, Mexican distance runner
- Peter Elliott, British middle-distance runner
- Deon Hemmings, Jamaican hurdler
- Tatyana Lysenko, Russian hammer thrower
- Blessing Okagbare, Nigerian sprinter
- Steve Ovett, British middle-distance runner
Related portals
More did you know
- ... that Ethiopian long-distance runner Atsede Habtamu set a new course record at the Eindhoven Marathon with her first marathon victory earlier this month?
- ... that 2006 National Capital Marathon winner Amos Tirop Matui was disqualified and received financial compensation due to a misplaced barrier on the course?
- ... that Australian runner Michael Shelley lost his scholarship funding and suffered a broken leg in 2009, but went on to win a silver medal in the marathon at the 2010 Commonwealth Games?
- ... that Irene Kosgei, despite injuring her knee at a drinks station early in the women's marathon at the 2010 Commonwealth Games, edged compatriot Irene Mogaka to become the first Kenyan woman to win a Commonwealth marathon title?
| Archive |
Selected biography
Wilma Glodean Rudolph (June 23, 1940 – November 12, 1994) was an American sprinter who overcame childhood polio and went on to become a world-record-holding Olympic champion and international sports icon in track and field following her successes in the 1956 and 1960 Olympic Games. Rudolph competed in the 200-meter dash and won a bronze medal in the 4 × 100-meter relay at the 1956 Summer Olympics at Melbourne, Australia. She also won three gold medals, in the 100- and 200-meter individual events and the 4 x 100-meter relay at the 1960 Summer Olympics in Rome, Italy. Rudolph was acclaimed the fastest woman in the world in the 1960s and became the first American woman to win three gold medals in track and field during a single Olympic Games.
As an Olympic champion in the early 1960s, Rudolph was among the most highly visible black women in America and abroad. She became a role model for black and female athletes and her Olympic successes helped elevate women's track and field in the United States. Rudolph is also regarded as a civil rights and women's rights pioneer. In 1962 Rudolph retired from competition at the peak of her athletic career as the world record-holder in the 100- and 200-meter individual events and the 4 × 100-meter relays. After competing in the 1960 Summer Olympics, the 1963 graduate of Tennessee State University became an educator and coach. Rudolph died of brain and throat cancer in 1994, and her achievements are memorialized in a variety of tributes, including a U.S. postage stamp, documentary films, and a made-for-television movie, as well as in numerous publications, especially books for young readers. (Full article...)
| More selected biographies |
Did you know (auto-generated) -
- ... that the championship record was broken three times in the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2024 World Athletics Relays?
- ... that Femke Bol won the women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in a championship record of 52.49 seconds?
- ... that the men's 100 metres event at the 2023 British Athletics Championships was run in heavy rain?
- ... that the women's race at today's New York City Marathon will feature two of the medalists from this year's Olympic marathon?
- ... that Femke Bol won the women's 400 metres and 400 metres hurdles at the 2022 European Athletics Championships in an unprecedented double victory?
- ... that at the 2022 British Indoor Athletics Championships, Lorraine Ugen equalled the championship long jump record?
- ... that at the 2022 British Athletics Championships, Daryll Neita became the first woman since 2010 to win both the 100- and 200-metre events?
World records
Topics
| Track |
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| Field |
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Records in athletics | |||||||||||
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| Area records |
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Athletics by country | ||
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Annual awards in athletics and track and field | ||
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Athletics events
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Athletics competitions
From the first edition at the 1896 Summer Games, athletics has been considered the "queen" of the Olympics. Today, there are several other athletics championships organized at global and continental levels. Athletics also serves as the main focus of many multi-sport events such as the World University Games, Mediterranean Games, and Pan American Games. The following is a list of prominent athletics competitions.
| Event | 1st edition | Kind of competition | Can participate |
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| Olympic Games | 1896 | World games |  Worldwide
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| World Championships | 1983 | World championships | |
| World Indoor Championships | 1985 | ||
| European Championships | 1934 | Continental championships | .svg){kind=small} Europe
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| European Indoor Championships | 1966 | ||
| South American Championships | 1919 | .svg){kind=small} South America
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| Asian Championships | 1973 | .svg){kind=small} Asia
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| African Championships | 1979 | .svg){kind=small} Africa
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| Ocenian Championships | 1990 | .svg){kind=small} Oceania
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Federations
- Internationals
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
European Athletics Association (EAA)
Confederation of African Athletics (CAA)
Asian Athletics Association (AAA)
North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association
CONSUDATLE
Oceania Athletics Association (OAA)
- Nationals
Australia: Athletics Australia (AA)
Brazil: Brazilian Athletics Confederation (CBAt)
Canada: Athletics Canada (AC)
Czech: Czech Athletics Federation (ČAS)
France: Fédération française d'athlétisme (FFA)
Germany: German Athletics Association (DLV)
Italy: Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL)
Jamaica: Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA)
Japan: Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF)
Kenya: Athletics Kenya (AK)
China: Chinese Athletic Association
Norway: Norwegian Athletics Association
Romania: Romanian Athletics Federation
Spain: Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA)
Great Britain: UK Athletics (UKA)
United States: USA Track & Field (USATF)
- Others
Wales: Welsh Athletics (WA)
England: Amateur Athletic Association of England (AAA)
Scotland: Scottishathletics
Athletic Association of Small States of Europe (AASSE)
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