Running

Running events include sprints and long distance races. The athletes run in lanes on an oval 400m track. The sprint races are 100m, 200m and 400m.

Sprinters need to be very strong.  Distance runners are usually thinner than sprinters.

The long distance races are the 800m, the 1500m, the 5000m, the 10, 000 metres and the marathon.

Hurdles

The athletes run along a track and jump over the hurdles.  The hurdles in the 110 metres race  are 1.067 metres high for men and 0.84 metres for women.  Hurdles look like a gate and they can fall over if the runner bumps them. After the last hurdle, the athletes sprint to the finish line.

Relays

There are four runners in a team. Each runner must run a part of the race while holding a baton which is a short metal stick. Runners pass the baton to the next runner when they finish their part. The baton must be handed over to the next runner within a 20 metre zone or the team will be disqualified.  

In the high jump,the athlete who jumps the highest wins. The athlete jumps over a long bar held up in the air by two stands. A big mat is under the  bar so the athletes can land safely.  The Olympic record is 2.05m for women and 2.39m for men.

In the long jump, the athlete takes a big run and jumps into a sandpit A board at the end of the runway marks where the long jumper must take off. The length of a long jump is measured from the board to the closest mark in the sand. The Olympic record is 7.40m for women and 8.90m for men.     by Lisa

Javelins are like long spears. Athletes run with the javelin, then throw it from behind a line on the ground. The athlete who throws the javelin the farthest wins.

The javelin must land point first otherwise it is not measured.  Throwers cannot use their own javelin.  The same goes for all the throwing events.  Men’s javelin weighs 805 grams and Women’s  weighs 605 grams.  

In the shot put he athlete throws from a 2.13m diameter circle. They usually face the back to start and turn before they throw. The weight of the shot is  fixed at 7.257 kg for men and 4kg for women. Bent arm throws are not allowed and competitors have to hold the shot in the crook of the neck before they throw. 

The discus weighs  2kg for men and 1kg for women.  The discus is like a plate.  It is made of wood with metal around the edge. Athletes must stand inside a circle and they spin around to throw the discus. The athlete who throws the farthest wins.

The Marathon

The marathon is the longest Olympic running race. In a marathon, athletes must run more than 42 kilometres. The athletes run on roads. The athletes may have drinks of water as they run. There has been a men's marathon race at every Olympic Games since 1896. The first Olympic women's marathon was at the Los Angeles Olympic Games in 1984. 

100m

Marathon

High Jump

Long Jump

Javelin

Discus

9.84sec

2:09.21

2.39m

8.90m

90.17m

69.40

10.62sec

2:23:14

2.05m

7.40m

68.91

72.30

Interesting Facts about Athletics

Shot Put began life as “putting the stone” at the Scottish games in the late 18^th century. A while later, cannon balls were used and weights differed enormously.

Early running tracks were made of cinders. All weather tracks were first used in Mexico in 1968.

The very first starting lines in the ancient games were simply scratched in the sand,which is where we get the expression starting from scratch.  Until 1948, runners used to dig holes in the track.  At the 1936 Olympics in Berlin they were given specially carved trowels!  Since 1948, starting blocks have been used to give something hard to push against.     by Lesley and Grace