Athletics
- For the Major League Baseball team, see Oakland Athletics.
Athletics (in the
US also known as
track and field or
track and field athletics) is a collection of
sport events, which can roughly be divided into
running,
throwing, and
jumping.
Athletic events are usually organised around a 400 m running track, on which most of the running events take place. Field events (jumping and throwing) often take place in the field in the centre of the running track.
Many athletic events have an ancient origin and were already conducted in competitive form by the ancient
Greeks. Athletics was included in the
Olympic Games in
1896 and has been part of the program ever since. An international governing body, the
IAAF was founded in
1912. The IAAF established separate outdoor World Championships in
1983. The AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) was the governing body in the United States until it collapsed under pressure from advancing professionalism in the late 1970's. A new governing body called The Athletics Congress (TAC) was formed, it was later renamed USA Track and Field (USATF or USA T&F). An additional, less structured organization, the Road Runners Club of America (RRCA) also exists in the USA to promote road racing. Both organizations allow athletes to receive money for racing putting an end to the "shamateurism" that existed before.
Events
\nThere are other variations besides the ones listed below but races of unusual length (e.g. 300 m) are run much less often. With the exception of the mile run, races based on imperial distances are rarely run on the track anymore since most tracks have been converted from a quarter mile (402.3 m) to 400 meters.
Men and women do not compete against each other. Women generally run the same distances as men although hurdles and steeplechase barriers are lower and the weights of the shot, discus, javelin and hammer are less.
- Track events - running events conducted on a 400 meter track.\n**Sprints: events up to and including 400 m. Common events are 60 m, 100 m, 200 m and 400 m.\n**Middle distance: events from 800 m to 3000 m, especially 800 m, 1500 m, mile and 3000 m.\n***steeplechase - a race (usually 3000m) in which runners must negotiate barriers and water jumps.\n**Long Distance: runs over 5000 m. Common events are 5000 m and 10000 m.\n**Hurdling: 110 m high hurdles (100 m for women) and 400 m intermediate hurdles.\n**Relays: 4 x 100 m, 4 x 400 m, 4 x 200 m, 4 x 800 m, etc. Some events, such as medley relays, are rarely run except at large relay carnivals.\n*Road running: conducted on open roads, but often finishing on the track. Common events are half-marathon and marathon.\n*Racewalking: usually conducted on open roads. Common events are 10 km, 20 km and 50 km.\n*Field events\n**Throwing events\n***Shot put\n***Hammer throw\n***Javelin throw\n***Discus throw\n**Jumping events\n***High jump\n***Long jump\n***Pole vault\n***Triple jump\n*Composite events\n**Pentathlon\n**Heptathlon\n**Decathlon
World Records
\nMen
\n{| border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0\n|- style="background: lightblue;"\n!Event\n!Record\n!Athlete\n!Date\n!Place\n|-\n|100 m\n|9.78s\n|Tim Montgomery (USA)\n|Sept 14, 2002\n|Paris, France\n|-\n|200 m\n|19.32s\n|Michael Johnson (USA)\n|Aug 1, 1996\n|Atlanta, Ga, USA\n|-\n|400 m\n|43.18s\n|Michael Johnson (USA)\n|Aug 26, 1999\n|Seville, Spain\n|-\n|800 m\n|1:41.11\n|Wilson Kipketer (Denmark)\n|Aug 24, 1997\n|Cologne, Germany\n|-\n|1000 m\n|2:11.96\n|Noah Ngeny (Kenya)\n|Sept 5, 1999\n|Rieti, Italy\n|-\n|1500 m\n|3:26.00\n|Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco)\n|July 14, 1998\n|Rome, Italy\n|-\n|mile\n|3:43:13\n|Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco)\n|July 7, 1999\n|Rome, Italy\n|-\n|2000 m\n|4:44.79\n|Hicham El Guerrouj (Morocco)\n|Sept 7, 1999\n|Berlin, Germany\n|-\n|3000 m\n|7:20.67\n|Daniel Komen (Kenya)\n|Sept 1, 1996\n|Rieti, Italy\n|-\n|5000 m\n|12:37.35\n|Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia)\n|May 31, 2004\n|Hengelo, Netherlands\n|-\n|10,000 m\n|26:20.31\n|Kenenisa Bekele (Ethiopia)\n|June 8, 2004\n|Ostrava, Czech Republic\n|-\n|20,000 m\n|56:55.6\n|Arturo Barrios (Mexico)\n|March 30, 1991\n|La Flčche, France\n|-\n|25,000 m\n|1:13:55.8\n|Toshihiko Seko (Japan)\n|March 22, 1981\n|Christchurch, NZ\n|-\n|30,000 m\n|1:29:18.8\n|Toshihiko Seko (Japan)\n|March 22, 1981\n|Christchurch, NZ\n|-\n|3000 m steeplechase\n|7:55.72\n|Brahim Boulami (Morocco)\n|Aug 16, 2002\n|Zürich, Switzerland\n|-\n|110 m hurdles\n|12.91s\n|Colin Jackson (UK)\n|Aug 20, 1993\n|Stuttgart, Germany\n|-\n|400 m hurdles\n|46.78s\n|Kevin Young (USA)\n|Aug 6, 1992\n|Barcelona, Spain\n|-\n|High jump\n|2.45m\n|Javier Sotomayor (Cuba)\n|July 27, 1993\n|Salamanca, Spain\n|-\n|Pole vault\n|6.14m\n|Sergey Bubka (Ukraine)\n|July 31, 1994\n|Sestriere, Italy\n|-\n|Long jump\n|8.95m\n|Mike Powell (USA)\n|Aug 30, 1991\n|Tokyo, Japan\n|-\n|Triple jump\n|18.29m\n|Jonathan Edwards (UK)\n|Aug 7, 1995\n|Göteborg, Sweden\n|-\n|Shot put\n|23.12m\n|Randy Barnes (USA)\n|May 20, 1990\n|Los Angeles, Ca, USA\n|-\n|Discus\n|74.08m\n|Jürgen Schult (E. Germany)\n|June 6, 1986\n|Neubrandenburg, E. Germany\n|-\n|Hammer\n|86.74m\n|Yury Syedikh (USSR)\n|Aug 30, 1986\n|Stuttgart, W. Germany\n|-\n|Javelin\n|98.48m\n|Jan Zelezný (Czech Rep)\n|May 25, 1996\n|Jena, Germany\n|-\n|rowspan=2|Decathlon\n|9026 pts\n|Roman Sebrle (Czech Rep)\n|May 27, 2001\n|Götzis, Austria\n|-\n|colspan=4|10.64s (100 m), 8.11m (long jump), 15.33m (shot put), 2.12m (high jump), 47.79s (400 m), 13.92s (110 m hurdles), 47.92m (discus), 4.80 m (pole vault), 70.16m (javelin), 4:21.98s (1500 m)\n|-\n|20 km walk\n|1:17:21\n|Jefferson Pérez (Ecuador)\n|Aug 23, 2003\n|Paris, France\n|-\n|30 km walk\n|2:01:44.1\n|Maurizio Damilano (Italy)\n|Oct 3, 1992\n|Cuneo, Italy\n|-\n|50 km walk\n|3:40:57.9\n|Thierry Toutain (France)\n|Sept 29, 1996\n|Héricourt, France\n|-\n|4x100 m relay\n|37.40s\n|Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell,
Dennis Mitchell, Carl Lewis (USA)\n|Aug 8, 1992\n|Barcelona, Spain\n|-\n|4x200 m relay\n|1:18.68\n|Mike Marsh, Leroy Burrell,
Floyd Heard, Carl Lewis (USA)\n|April 17, 1994\n|Walnut, Ca, USA\n|-\n|4x400 m relay\n|2:54.20\n|Jerome Young, Antonio Pettigrew,
Tyree Washington, Michael Johnson (USA)\n|July 22, 1998\n|New York City\n|-\n|4x800 m relay\n|7:03.89\n|Peter Elliott, Garry Cook,
Steve Cram, Sebastian Coe (UK)\n|Aug 30, 1982\n|London, England\n|-\n|4x1500 m relay\n|14:38.8\n|Thomas Wessinghage, Harald Hudak,
Michael Lederer, Karl Fleschen (W. Germany)\n|Aug 17, 1977\n|Cologne, W. Germany\n|-\n|4x110 m hurdles relay\n|54.40s\n|University of Tennessee (USA)\n|May 22, 1981\n|Knoxville, Tenn, USA\n|-\n|Marathon\n|2:04:55\n|Paul Tergat (Kenya)\n|Sept 28, 2003\n|Berlin, Germany\n|}
Women
\n{| border=1 cellpadding=2 cellspacing=0\n|- style="background: lightblue;"\n!Event\n!Record\n!Athlete\n!Date\n!Place\n|-\n|100 m\n|10.49s\n|Florence Griffith Joyner (USA)\n|July 16, 1988\n|Indianapolis, Ind, USA\n|-\n|200 m\n|21.34s\n|Florence Griffith Joyner (USA)\n|Sept 29, 1988\n|Seoul, S. Korea\n|-\n|400 m\n|47.60\n|Marita Koch (E. Germany)\n|Oct 6, 1985\n|Canberra, Australia\n|-\n|800 m\n|1:53.28\n|Jarmila Kratochvílová (Czechoslovakia)\n|July 26, 1983\n|Munich, W. Germany\n|-\n|1000 m\n|2:28.98\n|Svetlana Masterkova (Russia)\n|Aug 23, 1996\n|Brussels, Belgium\n|-\n|1500 m\n|3:50.46\n|Qu Junxia (China)\n|Sept 11, 1993\n|Beijing, China\n|-\n|2000 m\n|5:25.36\n|Sonia O'Sullivan (Rep. Ireland)\n|July 8, 1994\n|Edinburgh, Scotland\n|-\n|3000 m\n|8:06.11\n|Wang Junxia (China)\n|Sept 13, 1993\n|Beijing, China\n|-\n|5000 m\n|14:24.68\n|Elvan Abeylegesse (Turkey)\n|June 11, 2004\n|Bergen, Norway\n|-\n|10,000 m\n|29:31.78\n|Wang Junxia (China)\n|Sept 8, 1993\n|Beijing, China\n|-\n|20,000 m\n|1:05:26.6\n|Tegla Loroupe (Kenya)\n|Sept 3, 2000\n|Borgholzhausen, Germany\n|-\n|25,000 m\n|1:27:05.8\n|Tegla Loroupe (Kenya)\n|Sept 21, 2002\n|Mengerskirchen, Germany\n|-\n|30,000 m\n|1:45:50.0\n|Tegla Loroupe (Kenya)\n|June 7, 2003\n|Warstein, Germany\n|-\n|3000 m steeplechase\n|9:01.59\n|Gulnara Samitova, (Russia)\n|July 4, 2004\n|Heraklion, Greece\n|-\n|100 m hurdles\n|12.21s\n|Yordanka Donkova (Bulgaria)\n|Aug 20, 1988\n|Stara Zagora, Bulgaria\n|-\n|400 m hurdles\n|52.34s\n|Yuliya Pechenkina (Russia)\n|Aug 8, 2003\n|Tula, Russia\n|-\n|High jump\n|2.09m\n|Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria)\n|Aug 30, 1987\n|Rome, Italy\n|-\n|Pole vault\n|4.89m\n|Yelena Isinbeyeva (Russia)\n|July 25, 2004\n|Birmingham, England\n|-\n|Long jump\n|7.52m\n|Galina Chistyakova (USSR)\n|June 11, 1988\n|Leningrad, USSR\n|-\n|Triple jump\n|15.50\n|Inesa Kravets (Ukraine)\n|Aug 10, 1995\n|Göteborg, Sweden\n|-\n|Shot put\n|22.63\n|Natalya Lisovskaya (USSR)\n|June 7, 1987\n|Moscow, USSR\n|-\n|Discus\n|76.80\n|Gabriele Reinsch (E. Germany\n|July 9, 1988\n|Neubrandenburg, E. Germany\n|-\n|Hammer throw\n|75.97m\n|Mihaela Melinte (Romania)\n|May 13, 1999\n|Clermont-Ferrand, France\n|-\n|Javelin\n|71.54m\n|Osleidys Menéndez (Cuba)\n|July 1, 2001\n|Rethymno, Greece\n|-\n|rowspan=2|Heptathlon\n|7291 pts\n|Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA)\n|Sept 23-24, 1988\n|Seoul, S. Korea\n|-\n|colspan=4|12.69s (110 m hurdles), 1.86m (high jump), 15.80 m (shot put), 22.56s (200 m), 7.27m (long jump), 45.66m (javelin), 2:08.51 (800 m)\n|-\n|5 km walk\n|20:02.60\n|Gillian O'Sullivan (Rep. of Ireland)\n|July 13, 2002\n|Dublin, Ireland\n|-\n|10 km walk\n|41:56.23\n|Nadezhda Ryashkina (USSR)\n|July 24, 1990\n|Seattle, Wa, USA\n|-\n|4x100 m Relay\n|41.37\n|Silke Gladisch, Sabine Rieger,
Ingrid Auerswald, Marlies Göhr (E. Germany)\n|Oct 6, 1985\n|Canberra, Australia\n|-\n|4x200 m Relay\n|1:27.46\n|LaTasha Jenkins, LaTasha Colander-Richardson,
Nanceen Perry, Marion Jones (USA)\n|April 29, 2000\n|Philadelphia, Pa, USA\n|-\n|4x400 m Relay\n|3:15.17\n|Tatyana Ledovskaya, Olga Nazarova,
Mariya Pinigina, Olga Bryzgina (USSR)\n|Oct 1, 1988\n|Seoul, S. Korea\n|-\n|4x800 m Relay\n|7:50.17\n|Nadezhda Olizarenko, Lyubov Gurina,
Lyudmila Borisova, Irina Podyalovskaya (USSR)\n|Aug 5, 1984\n|Moscow, USSR\n|-\n|Marathon\n|2:15:25\n|Paula Radcliffe (UK)\n|April 13, 2003\n|London, England, UK\n|}
See also
\n*Olympic medalists in athletics (men)\n*Olympic medalists in athletics (women)\n*World Record progression 100 m men\n*World record progression for the mile run\n*:category:athletes\n*:category:athletics
Category:Athletics
simple:Athletics
