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 New York State Federation Championship cross country meet in November 2010 (from Cross country running) -
The Roy Griak Invitational cross country meet at the University of Minnesota in September 2007 (from Cross country running) -
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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) -
Men assuming the starting position for a sprint race (from Track and field) -
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The 100 m final at the 2008 Summer Olympics (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) -
A graph of the world record progression in the men's 100 metres (from Track and field) -
Girls handing over the baton in a relay race in Leipzig in 1950 (from Track and field) -
Runners at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships in Albufeira, Portugal (from Cross country running) -
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Oscar Pistorius running in the first round of the 400 m at the 2012 Summer Olympics (from Track and field) -
The finish of a women's 100 m race (from Track and field) -
A women's 400 m hurdles race at the 2007 Dutch Championships (from Track and field) -
Shaul Ladany (centre), in 1969 (from Racewalking) -
A children's cross country competition in Čakovec, Croatia (from Cross country running) -
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Men traversing the water jump in a steeplechase competition (from Track and field) -
An Ancient Greece vase from 600 BC depicting a running contest (from Track and field) -
Arne Andersson (left) and Gunder Hägg (right) broke a number of middle distance world records in the 1940s. (from Track and field) -
Naide Gomes in the jumping phase of the event (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) -
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) -
The Gordon Indoor Track sports an 80-yard sprint straight, and the track is 220 yards in length. (from Track and field) -
Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, one of the first modern track and field stadiums (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) -
Carl Lewis, one of the athletes who helped increase track and field's profile (from Track and field) -
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A javelin throw athlete (from Track and field) -
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Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele leading in a long-distance track event (from Track and field) -
A racewalker "flying" (entirely out of contact with the ground, a rule violation) (from Racewalking)
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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...)
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Selected picture
Athlete birthdays
5 August:
- Chen Ding, Chinese race walker
- Yuriy Dumchev, Soviet discus thrower
- Kim Gevaert, Belgian sprinter
- Lolo Jones, American hurdler
- David Ottley, British javelin thrower
- John Smith, American sprinter and coach
6 August:
- Mykola Avilov, Soviet decathlete
- Tony Dees, American hurdler
- Lyubov Gurina, Russian middle-distance runner
- Thomas Schönlebe, German sprinter
7 August:
- Abebe Bikila, Ethiopian distance runner
- Khalid Boulami, Moroccan distance runner
- Douglas Lowe, British middle-distance runner
- Alberto Salazar, American distance runner and coach
- Dave Wottle, American middle-distance runner
8 August:
- Suzy Favor-Hamilton, American middle-distance runner
- Yekaterina Fesenko, Soviet hurdler
- Igor Lapshin, Soviet triple jumper
- Carol Lewis, American long jumper
- Viorica Viscopoleanu, Romanian long jumper
- Ronald Weigel, German race walker
- Anita Włodarczyk, Polish hammer thrower
9 August:
- Udo Beyer, German shot putter
- Ivan Fuqua, American sprinter
- Tyson Gay, American sprinter
- Manuela Machado, Portuguese distance runner
- John Rambo, American high jumper
- Lilyana Tomova, Bulgarian middle-distance runner
- Aleksey Voyevodin, Russian race walker
10 August:
- Robert Kiprono Cheruiyot, Kenyan marathon runner
- Edward Gourdin, American long jumper
- Kalevi Kotkas, Finnish high jumper and discus thrower
- Lauri Lehtinen, Finnish distance runner
- Bill Nieder, American shot putter
- Arthur Porritt, New Zealand sprinter
11 August:
- Andy Bloom, American shot putter and discus thrower
- Yuriy Krymarenko, Ukrainian high jumper
- Vanderlei de Lima, Brazilian distance runner
- Paul Martin, Swiss middle-distance runner
- Charley Paddock, American sprinter
- Oleg Protsenko, Soviet triple jumper
- Monika Pyrek, Polish pole vaulter
Related portals
More did you know
- ... that Amane Gobena is the first Ethiopian runner to win the Osaka Ladies Marathon?
- ... that Oprah Winfrey completed the America's Finest City Half Marathon in 1993, running under a pseudonym and accompanied by a bodyguard, a trainer, and a video crew?
- ... that Sharon Cherop fell over at the Toronto Waterfront Marathon but got back up and ran the fastest marathon ever by a woman in Canada?
- ... that Kenyan athlete Paul Malakwen Kosgei became the World Half Marathon Champion in 2002 despite having never competed in a half marathon before?
- ... that A. K. M. Miraj Uddin set a Pakistani national record in the pole vault by clearing 12 feet 2 inches (3.71 m) with a bamboo pole instead of a carbon-fiber pole?
| Archive |
Selected biography
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Frederick Carlton Lewis (born July 1, 1961) is an American former track and field athlete who won nine Olympic gold medals, one Olympic silver medal, and 10 World Championships medals, including eight gold. Lewis was a dominant sprinter and long jumper whose career spanned from 1979 to 1996, when he last won the Olympic long jump. He is one of six athletes to win gold in the same individual event in four consecutive Olympic Games, and is one of two people to win gold in the same individual athletics event in four Olympic Games, along with discus thrower Al Oerter. He is the head track and field coach for the University of Houston.
Lewis topped the world rankings in the 100 m, 200 m and long jump events frequently from 1981 to the early 1990s. He set world records in the 100 m, 4 × 100 m and 4 × 200 m relays, while his world record in the indoor long jump has stood since 1984. His 65 consecutive victories in the long jump over a span of 10 years is one of the sport's longest undefeated streaks. Lewis broke 10 seconds for the 100 meters fifteen times and 20 seconds for the 200 meters ten times. He also long jumped over 8.53 meters 71 times.
His accomplishments have led to numerous accolades, including being voted "World Athlete of the Century" by the International Association of Athletics Federations, "Sportsman of the Century" by the International Olympic Committee, "Olympian of the Century" by Sports Illustrated and "Athlete of the Year" by Track & Field News in 1982, 1983, and 1984.
After retiring from athletics, Lewis became an actor and has appeared in a number of films. In 2011, he attempted to run for a seat as a Democrat in the New Jersey Senate, but was removed from the ballot due to the state's residency requirement. Lewis owns a marketing and branding company named C.L.E.G., which markets and brands products and services including his own. (Full article...)
| More selected biographies |
Did you know (auto-generated) -
- ... that when the Oakland Athletics promoted Bill McNulty to the major leagues, they needed forest rangers to find him?
- ... 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 at the 2022 British Indoor Athletics Championships, Lorraine Ugen equalled the championship long jump record?
- ... 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?
- ... 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 the women's race at today's New York City Marathon will feature two of the medalists from this year's Olympic marathon?
- ... that the championship record was broken three times in the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2024 World Athletics Relays?
- ... that the men's 100 metres event at the 2023 British Athletics Championships was run in heavy rain?
World records
Topics
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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 |
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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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