This section will first listthe standard events in the Olympic Games since the events and rulesestablished by the IAAF (International Association of AthleticsFederations), the international governing body for Track & Field,usually trickle down to the national, collegiate, and with somemodifications, to the age-group level. We will then go over thedifferences in events for indoor track & field, as well asdifferences one would see for high school age and younger kids.
There are 44 events in theTrack & Field competition of an Olympic Games making the sport, byfar, the most contested of all Olympic sports. These 44 events can bedivided in to their different event areas beginning by separating trackevents (all of the running and walking events), from field events (allof the throwing and vaulting events). There are also two multi-events,the decathlon and heptathlon, which combine disciplines from both trackand field.
Distance: 3,000 meter Steeplechase, 5,000 meters (5K), 10,000 meters (10K), Marathon (26.2 miles)
100m
Thisevent is essentially an all-out sprint from the gun to the finish line.Perfecting the start is essential as is learning to run at top speedwhile staying relaxed. It is run on the straightaway of the track.
200m
Verysimilar to the 100m, but success in this event requires additionalstrength to enable the athlete to maintain a fast pace over the entire200 meter distance. The majority of short sprinters compete in bothevents. It covers ½ of the oval.
400m
Thelong sprint. This event requires a combination of speed, strength andtolerance for pain. The fast pace the athletes run usually results inthe formation of lactic acid by the 300 meter mark, which causes asensation of burning and fatigue in the muscles. It is one full lap ofa standard size outdoor track.
800m
A"tweener" event. There are 800m specialists but athletes in this eventusually either are good sprinters who can run both the 400m and 800m,or they have good endurance and can run both the 800m and 1500m well.This event requires excellent natural endurance, as well as good speedfor a strong finish. It is two laps around a standard outdoor track.
1500m
The"metric mile." The relationship between the 1500m and the 800m is verysimilar to that between the 200m and 100m. It requires the same basicskill set with some added strength and endurance to cover theadditional distance. Athletes must have the endurance to maintain ademanding pace for nearly a full mile, but must be prepared to sprinthome with a strong finish over the final lap of this 3 ¾ lap race.
3000m Steeplechase
Thisis one of the most interesting events in track & field- a distancerace with hurdles. While covering this 7 ½ lap distance, the athletesmust traverse four barriers placed on the track. One of the barriers isplaced in front of a water pit that must also be negotiated on eachlap. Unlike the lightweight hurdles used for the hurdling events, theseheavy wooden barriers will not budge if hit. Some steeplechasers hurdlethe barriers cleanly, but most step on them with one foot to clearthem. Steeplechasers are usually also very capable 5000m runners.
5000m
This12 1/2 lap race is equivalent to 3.1 miles of running at a hard pace.Exceptional endurance is required, as is a healthy amount of speed forthe intense race to the finish line frequently seen in 5k races.
10000m
Thisis the longest event contested solely on the track. It is for those whohave the strongest cardio-pulmonary systems capable of keeping enoughoxygen flowing to the muscles while maintaining a punishing pace for6.2 miles or 25 laps around the track.
100mh/110mh
Anall out sprint while traversing 10 hurdles placed between the start andthe finish. The men's event is 10 meters longer and the hurdles arehigher. The men's event is sometimes called the high hurdles.
400mh
Alsoknown as the intermediate hurdles, this event requires the speed of asprinter, the strength of an 800 meter runner and the technical skillof a 100 or 110 meter hurdler. This race also involves ten hurdles, butunlike the short hurdle race where runners will use the same lead legand trail leg over each hurdle, in the intermediate hurdles they mustbe able to use either leg as their lead leg.
4 x 100m Relay/
400m Relay
Fourathletes each run approximately 100m or one quarter of the track. It isnot just the speed of the runners, but the precision of their batonpasses that determines how well the team does. Each baton exchange mustbe made within a marked zone on the track. Failure to exchange thebaton in the zone results in disqualification. For the 4 x 100m, thebaton pass is usually "blind" meaning that the outgoing runner does notlook at the baton but extends her hand back to receive it while runningclose to maximum speed and facing forward.
4 x 400m Relay/
1600m
RelayTraditionally, this is the last event contested at most track meets.Each athlete runs one full lap and exchanges the baton in a zone nearthe finish line. For this relay the outgoing athlete generally turnshis face and watches the baton exchange. The incoming athlete, who isfinishing the final meters of a tough 400m, is usually quite tired sothe outgoing athlete has to accelerate to racing speed while beingcautious not to go too fast before getting the baton.
20 Kilometer Race Walk
Bothrace walking events are endurance events and usually contested on aroad course. Race walk requires a complex physical motion involving thefeet, legs, hips, back and arms. A primary rule of race walking is thatat no time can both feet be in the air at the same time. Judges watchfor this running motion and disqualify athletes who accidentally allowone foot to leave the ground before the other has landed. 20 kilometersis 12.4 miles.
50 Kilometer Race Walk
Thisis the longest of all the track & field events, covering more than30 miles of intense racing. This event requires exceptional enduranceand cardiovascular ability, not only for the competitions, but also forthe training involved to be successful in this event.
The Field Events
Horizontal Jumps: Long Jump, Triple Jump
Vertical Jumps: High Jump, Pole Vault
Throws: Discus Throw, Javelin Throw, Hammer Throw, Shot Put
Long Jump | Whocan jump the farthest? That is what the Long Jump boils down to.Jumpers start at one end of the runway and take a flying leap in to apit of sand. A board, 20 cm wide, near the end of the runway, marks thetake off point and the distance jumped is measured from the end of theboard to the spot where the athlete first breaks the sand. If any partof the jumper's feet goes beyond the board during takeoff, the jump isruled a foul and will not be measured or counted. |
Triple Jump | Thisevent requires exceptional abdominal strength as the jumper must usethe momentum from her run-up to make three separate jumps beforelanding in the sand pit. The jumper first takes off and lands with thesame foot (the hop phase), takes off again from that same foot andlands on the opposite foot (skip phase), and then takes off from thatlanding foot to leap into the sand. Maintaining correct body positionand alignment in the air during the three phases is a crucial componentto completing a lengthy jump. |
High Jump | Whocan jump the highest? (Well, the highest, without a pole). That is thepoint of the high jump. High jumpers run a curved approach, then, at aprecise spot, translate that forward motion in to vertical motion asthey drive their arms, shoulders, hips and opposite leg in to the airto get as much height as possible. They lay first their head, thenshoulders, back, hips and legs over the bar. Having impeccabletechnique to put all of these steps together is crucial, but beingnaturally long and lean is a big plus as well. Athletes have threemisses at each height before being eliminated from the competition.Whoever clears the highest bar wins, although ties are frequent in theHJ. |
Pole Vault | Athletessprint down the runway carrying a long pole. At the end of the runwaythey plant the pole in to a box, bend the pole down and catapultthemselves over the bar. An event not suited to those with a fear offlying, but those with a background in gymnastics have done welltransitioning to the vault. The same rules as the high jump apply: eachathlete has three attempts to successfully clear a height in order toremain in the competition. |
The Throws
The name of the game in allof the throwing events is distance. The farthest throw wins. Amongstthe throwing events the other similarities that they share is: 1) theathlete's feet must remain within a designated area to launch the throw; and 2)the implement must land within a designated area, the sector, to beconsidered a fair throw that will be measured.
Discus Throw | Thediscus requires ballet-like footwork as the athlete rotates through aseries of spins to build momentum to hurl the discus nearly the entirelength of the track. The disc is thrown out of a high-sided steel meshcage that protects bystanders from errant throws. In the cage is acircle that designates the throwing area. Stepping out of the circleduring a throw constitutes a foul and the throw will not be measured.Each competitor is allowed three initial throws with the longestdistance determining her place in the standings. After the first threethrows the competition can be narrowed to allow only a set number ofthe top placers in the standings to take an additional three throws todetermine the final order of finish. |
Hammer Throw | TheHammer shares many similarities with the discus including the cage, thecircle and the spinning approach to the throw. The major difference isthat the implement being thrown is a steel ball on the end of a wire.Distances achieved are also similar to that of the discus. |
Javelin Throw | Thejavelin is a long, spear-like implement with a sharp tip on the end.Athletes take a running approach before launching their javelins, andoften their bodies, in to the air. The trick is to get the maximumforward motion on the approach without stepping over the line. As inthe other throws, if the athlete steps over the designated throwingline, the result is a foul and an unmeasured throw. Another trickything about the Javelin is that it must land tip down to be consideredfair. The small country of Finland is the cradle of this event and hasconsistently produced the most accomplished practitioners. |
Shot Put | Theshot is a steel ball, and the competition is to see who can put, orthrow it the farthest. As in the Discus and Hammer a circle delineatesthe fair area from which the put must be launched. There are twotechniques for generating the momentum to get maximum distance on one'sput. The glide involves starting in a crouched position, shot tuckedbetween neck and shoulder under the chin, then taking a large, powerfulstride backwards towards the launching point while turning the body anduncoiling the legs to release the put up and out towards the landingarea. New putters usually master the glide technique before graduatingto the spin. Spinners will do one to 1 ½ rotations before releasing theshot from the edge of the circle and, often, hopping around on tiptoeto keep themselves from over-rotating out of the circle thereby foulingand nullifying their puts. |
The Multi-Events
Decathlon- | Thewinner of the Olympic title in this event is known as the greatestathlete in the world as it requires showing mastery of ten differentevents across the track & field spectrum to succeed in thedecathlon. The decathlon events are these, in competition order: Day 1: 100 Meters, Long Jump, Shot Put, High Jump, 400 Meters Modifications Age Group Track & Field Events Now that you have an understanding of the Olympic Track & Fieldprogram, you have the big picture. This is a good time to point out themyriad modifications that you might encounter in age group, or youthtrack & field. The basic model is that, the younger the age group,the fewer events officially contested. For obvious reasons, there areseveral events that young children, generally pre-adolescent, are notdevelopmentally ready to learn and contest. Obvious examples would bethe hurdles, pole vault and long distance events like the 3000 metersand 5000meters (the longest event for kids 10 and under is 1500meters). Even in high school there continue to be modifications. Some states have eliminated the javelin and pole vault due to safety concernsAnd some states contest modified distances for common events. Forinstance, the 400 meter hurdles is the official distance for theOlympic Games and collegiate track, but many high schools run the 300meter hurdles instead (even though at the USATF Junior Nationals thekids run 400 meter hurdles in the high school age divisions). They alsorun the 2000 meter Steeplechase instead of the full 3000 meters.For more detailed information about which high school events arecontested in your state, get in touch with your state educationdepartment's athletics division. For more information about the events offered foreach age group by the two major youth track & field organizations,the Amateur Athletics Union (AAU) and USA Track & Field (USATF),check their championship meet results online at www.aauathletics.org and www.usatf.org. |
