Portal:Sport of athletics
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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Carl Lewis, one of the athletes who helped increase track and field's profile (from Track and field) -
A typical layout of an outdoor track and field stadium (from Track and field) -
A child taking part in a local schools meeting in Cambodia (from Track and field) -
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) -
Oscar Pistorius running in the first round of the 400 m at the 2012 Summer Olympics (from Track and field) -
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Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele leading in a long-distance track event (from Track and field) -
Girls handing over the baton in a relay race in Leipzig in 1950 (from Track and field) -
Men assuming the starting position for a sprint race (from Track and field) -
A graph of the world record progression in the men's 100 metres (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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The New York State Federation Championship cross country meet in November 2010 (from Cross country running) -
Naide Gomes in the jumping phase of the event (from Track and field) -
A children's cross country competition in Čakovec, Croatia (from Cross country running) -
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) -
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The 100 m final at the 2008 Summer Olympics (from Track and field) -
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An Ancient Greece vase from 600 BC depicting a running contest (from Track and field) -
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A women's 400 m hurdles race at the 2007 Dutch Championships (from Track and field) -
The Roy Griak Invitational cross country meet at the University of Minnesota in September 2007 (from Cross country running) -
A javelin throw athlete (from Track and field) -
A racewalker "flying" (entirely out of contact with the ground, a rule violation) (from Racewalking) -
Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, one of the first modern track and field stadiums (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) -
The finish of a women's 100 m race (from Track and field) -
Men traversing the water jump in a steeplechase competition (from Track and field) -
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Shaul Ladany (centre), in 1969 (from Racewalking) -
Runners at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships in Albufeira, Portugal (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 start of a typical cross country race, as an official fires a gun to signal the start (from Cross country running) -
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_not_in_contact_with_the_ground.jpg)
_-_The_Winners_of_the_10,000_M_Walk.jpg)
Selected article
The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump unaided over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without dislodging it. In its modern, most-practiced format, a bar is placed between two standards with a crash mat for landing. Since ancient times, competitors have introduced increasingly effective techniques to arrive at the current form, and the current universally preferred method is the Fosbury Flop, in which athletes run towards the bar and leap head first with their back to the bar.
The discipline is, alongside the pole vault, one of two vertical clearance events in the Olympic athletics program. It is contested at the World Championships in Athletics and the World Athletics Indoor Championships, and is a common occurrence at track and field meets. The high jump was among the first events deemed acceptable for women, having been held at the 1928 Olympic Games.
Javier Sotomayor (Cuba) is the current world record holder with a jump of 2.45 m (8 ft 1⁄4 in) set in 1993 – the longest-standing record in the history of the men's high jump. Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria) has held the women's world record of 2.09 m (6 ft 10+1⁄4 in) since 1987, also the longest-held record in the event. (Full article...)
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Selected picture
Athlete birthdays
1 May:
- Volmari Iso-Hollo, Finnish distance runner
- Lornah Kiplagat, Kenyan-Dutch distance runner
- Mikhail Krivonosov, Soviet hammer thrower
- Ollie Matson, American sprinter
- Bryshon Nellum, American sprinter
- Michelle Perry, American hurdler
- Vasiliy Sidorenko, Russian hammer thrower
- Marina Stepanova, Soviet hurdler
- John Svanberg, Swedish distance runner
- Archie Williams, American sprinter
2 May:
- Tim Benjamin, British sprinter
- James Dillion, American discus thrower
- Bill Horr, American discus thrower
- Taťána Kocembová, Czechoslovakian sprinter
- Guinn Smith, American pole vaulter
3 May:
- Jamie Baulch, British sprinter
- Edmund Black, American hammer thrower
- Mary Cain, American middle-distance runner
- Kathy Cook, British sprinter
- Jörg Drehmel, German triple jumper
- Vasily Rudenkov, Soviet hammer thrower
- Anastasiya Shvedova, Belarusian pole vaulter
- Dai Tamesue, Japanese hurdler
- Allan Wells, British sprinter
4 May':
- Silvia Costa, Cuban high jumper
- Wolrad Eberle, German decathlete
- Ulrike Meyfarth, German high jumper
- Pekka Päivärinta, Finnish distance runner
5 May:
- Mabel Gay, Cuban triple jumper
- Heike Henkel, German high jumper
- Igor Kashkarov, Soviet high jumper
- Meb Keflezighi, American distance runner
- Jorge Llopart, Spanish race walker
- Francine Niyonsaba, Burundian middle-distance runner
- Steve Scott, American middle-distance runner
6 May:
- Lyudmila Andonova, Bulgarian high jumper
- Bernard Barmasai, Kenyan steeplechase runner
- Daniela Bártová, Czech pole vaulter
- Andreas Busse, German middle-distance runner
- Gerd Kanter, Estonian discus thrower
- Wolfgang Reinhardt, German pole vaulter
- Kaliese Spencer, Jamaican hurdler
- Naoko Takahashi, Japanese distance runner
- Roland Wieser, German race walker
7 May':
- Jimmy Ball, Canadian sprinter
- James Carter, American hurdler
- Florența Crăciunescu, Romanian discus thrower
- Bill Hoyt, American pole vaulter
- Huang Zhihong, Chinese shot putter
- Lawrence Johnson, American pole vaulter
- Georgiy Kolnootchenko, Soviet discus thrower
- Eric Krenz, American discus thrower
- Florian Schwarthoff, German hurdler
Related portals
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| Archive |
Selected biography
Harold Maurice Abrahams CBE (15 December 1899 – 14 January 1978) was an English track and field athlete. He was Olympic champion in 1924 in the 100 metres sprint, a feat depicted in the 1981 film Chariots of Fire. (Full article...)
A sprinter and long jumper since his youth, he continued to compete in running while at Cambridge. Abrahams earned a place in the 1920 Olympic team,[1] but was eliminated in the quarter-finals of both the 100 m and the 200 m, and finished 20th in the long jump.[1] He was also part of the British relay team that took fourth place in the 4 × 100 m.[2]
Although Abrahams dominated British long jump and sprint events, after graduating from Cambridge, he employed Sam Mussabini, a professional coach, who improved his style and training techniques in preparation for the 1924 Olympics in Paris, France.[2][3]
For six months, Mussabini emphasised the 100 m at Abrahams's direction, with the 200 m as secondary. Through vigorous training, Abrahams perfected his start, stride and form. One month before the 1924 Games, Abrahams set the English record in the long jump 24 feet 2+1⁄2 inches (7.38 m), a record which stood for the next 32 years.[1] The same day he ran the 100-yard dash in 9.6 seconds, but the time was not submitted as a record because the track was on a slight downhill.[4]
At the 1924 Summer Games, Abrahams won the 100 m in a time of 10.6 seconds, beating all the American favourites, including the 1920 gold-medal winner Charley Paddock.[1] In third place was Arthur Porritt, later Governor-General of New Zealand and Queen's Surgeon. The Paris Olympics 100 m dash took place at 7 p.m. on 7 July 1924, and Abrahams and Porritt dined together at 7 p.m. on 7 July every year thereafter, until Abrahams's death in 1978. Teammate Eric Liddell, the British 100-yard dash record holder at that time, declined to compete in the Paris 100 m because one of the heats for the event was held on a Sunday. Both Liddell and Abrahams competed in the final of the 200 m race, with Liddell finishing third and Abrahams sixth.[1] Liddell went on to win the gold medal in the 400 metres. Abrahams was the opening runner for the British 4 × 100 m team, which won the silver medal. He did not compete in the long jump.[2]
| More selected biographies |
Did you know (auto-generated) -
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- ... that at the 2022 British Athletics Championships, Daryll Neita became the first woman since 2010 to win both the 100- and 200-metre events?
- ... that for the first time this century, this year's British Athletics Championships were not broadcast on live television?
- ... that the women's race at today's New York City Marathon will feature two of the medalists from this year's Olympic marathon?
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- ... that in the 1932 baseball game in which pitcher Eddie Rommel won his last game, he pitched 17 innings in relief, an American League record?
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World records
| Event | Men | Record | Women | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 100 m |  Usain Bolt |
9.58 |  Florence Griffith Joyner |
10.49 |
| 200 m | Usain Bolt |
19.19 | Florence Griffith Joyner |
21.34 |
| 400 m |  Wayde van Niekerk |
43.03 |  Marita Koch |
47.60 |
| 800 m |  David Rudisha |
1:40.91 |  Jarmila Kratochvílová |
1:53.28 |
| 1500 m |  Hicham El Guerrouj |
3:26.00 | Faith Kipyegon |
3:49.11 |
| 5000 m |  Joshua Cheptegei |
12:35.36 |  Gudaf Tsegay |
14:00.21 |
| 10,000 m | Joshua Cheptegei |
26:11.00 | Letesenbet Gidey |
29:01.03 |
| Marathon | Kelvin Kiptum |
2:00:35 | Brigid Kosgei |
2:14:04 |
| 3000 m steeplechase | Lamecha Girma |
7:52.11 | Beatrice Chepkoech |
8:44.32 |
| 110 / 100 m hurdles | Aries Merritt |
12.80 |  Tobi Amusan |
12.12 |
| 400 m hurdles |  Karsten Warholm |
45.94 | Sydney McLaughlin |
50.68 |
| High jump |  Javier Sotomayor |
2.45 m |  Stefka Kostadinova |
2.09 m |
| Pole vault |  Armand Duplantis |
6.23 m |  Yelena Isinbayeva |
5.06 m |
| Long jump | Mike Powell |
8.95 m |  Galina Chistyakova |
7.52 m |
| Triple jump |  Jonathan Edwards |
18.29 m |  Yulimar Rojas |
15.74 m |
| Shot put | Ryan Crouser |
23.56 m | Natalya Lisovskaya |
22.63 m |
| Discus throw | Jürgen Schult |
74.08 m | Gabriele Reinsch |
76.80 m |
| Hammer throw | Yuriy Sedykh |
86.74 m |  Anita Włodarczyk |
82.98 m |
| Javelin throw | Jan Železný |
98.48 m | Barbora Špotáková |
72.28 m |
| Decathlon/Heptathlon |  Kevin Mayer |
9126 pts. | Jackie Joyner-Kersee |
7291 pts. |
| 20 km racewalk |  Yusuke Suzuki |
1:16:36 |  Yang Jiayu |
1:23:49 |
| 4×100 m relay | Jamaica |
36.84 |  United States |
40.82 |
| 4×400 m relay | United States |
2:54.29 | Soviet Union |
3:15.17 |
Topics
| Track |
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Athletics by country | ||
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Annual awards in athletics and track and field | ||
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| Additions (2020- ) | |
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Athletics events
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Athletics competitions
It's from the first edition (1896 Summer Olympics), that Athletics has been considered the "Queen" of the Olympics. Since then there have been a series of competitions organized at world level, than at the continental level. Furthermore, the Athletics is the main sport of nearly all multi-sport events such as Universiade, Mediterranean Games or Pan American Games. The following list refers to the main Athletics competitions that take place in the world.
| Event | 1st edition | Kind of competition | Can participate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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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Sources
- ^ a b c d e Kebric, Robert B. (2002) [1992]. Dawson, Dawn P. (ed.). Great Athletes. Vol. 1 (Revised ed.). Salem Press. pp. 11–13. ISBN 1-58765-008-8.
- ^ a b c Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Harold Abrahams". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 2020-04-17.
- ^ "Olympics 2000". Sporting Life. Archived from the original on 10 December 2000.
- ^ "Uc_Hilal : Jews in Sports @ Virtual Museum". Jewsinsports.org. 14 January 1978. Retrieved 31 January 2011.
