Portal:Sport of athletics
Introduction
Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping and throwing. 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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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) -
Shaul Ladany (centre), in 1969 (from Race walking) -
The Gordon Indoor Track features an 80-yard sprint straight, and the track is 220 yards in length. (from Track and field) -
Oscar Pistorius running in the first round of the 400 m at the 2012 Summer Olympics (from Track and field) -
A high school student attempting to high jump while using the Fosbury Flop technique (from Track and field) -
A javelin throw athlete (from Track and field) -
A child taking part in a local schools meeting in Cambodia (from Track and field) -
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Girls handing over the baton in a relay race in Leipzig in 1950 (from Track and field) -
An ancient Greece vase from 600 BC depicting a running contest (from Track and field) -
A typical layout of an outdoor track and field stadium (from Track and field) -
Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, one of the first modern track and field stadiums (from Track and field) -
Naide Gomes in the jumping phase of the event (from Track and field) -
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) -
A children's cross country competition in Čakovec, Croatia (from Cross country running) -
Men traversing the water jump in a steeplechase competition (from Track and field) -
Carl Lewis, one of the athletes who helped increase track and field's profile (from Track and field) -
The Roy Griak Invitational cross country meet at the University of Minnesota in September 2007 (from Cross country running) -
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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) -
The New York State Federation Championship cross country meet in November 2010 (from Cross country running) -
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Ethiopian runner Kenenisa Bekele leading in a long-distance track event (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) -
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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The 100 m final at the 2008 Summer Olympics (from Track and field) -
A women's 400 m hurdles race at the 2007 Dutch Championships (from Track and field) -
Runners at the 2010 European Cross Country Championships in Albufeira, Portugal (from Cross country running) -
A graph of the world record progression in the men's 100 metres (from Track and field) -
A racewalker "flying" (entirely out of contact with the ground, a rule violation) (from Race walking) -
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Selected article
The Chicago Marathon is a road marathon held in October in Chicago, Illinois. It is one of the seven World Marathon Majors. Thus, it is also a World Athletics Label Road Race. The Chicago Marathon is one of the largest races by number of finishers worldwide. The race was awarded the World Athletics Heritage Plaque in 2024, for "outstanding contribution to the history and development of road running."
Annual Chicago marathons were held from 1905 to the 1920s, but the first race in the present series occurred on September 25, 1977, under the original name the Mayor Daley Marathon, which drew a field of 4,200 runners. The race has been held every year since, except in 1987 when only a half-marathon was run, and in 2020 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. It became among the fastest-growing modern-marathon road races in the world, due in part to its largely fast and flat course which facilitates the pursuit of personal records and world record performances. It generally begins and ends in Grant Park, and travels streets of the North Side, West Side and South Side, before returning to the Loop. The race has achieved its elite status among marathons by developing relationships with sponsors who provide prize money to lure elite runners who have produced American and world record performances. Since 2008, the race has been sponsored and organized by Bank of America, and is officially known as the Bank of America Chicago Marathon. (Full article...)
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Selected picture
Athlete birthdays
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
8 May:
- Päivi Alafrantti, Finnish javelin thrower
- Wesley Coe, American shot putter
- Paul Drayton, American sprinter
- Bershawn Jackson, American hurdler
- Aleksandr Kovalenko, Soviet triple jumper
- Galen Rupp, American distance runner
9 May:
- Ralph Boston, American long jumper
- James Butts, American triple jumper
- Frank Foss, American pole vaulter
- Dorothy Hyman, British sprinter
- Tegla Loroupe, Kenyan distance runner
- Marie-José Pérec, French sprinter
- Fred Warngård, Swedish hammer thrower
10 May:
- Audun Boysen, Norwegian middle-distance runner
- Jonathan Edwards, British triple jumper
- Des Koch, American discus thrower
- John Ngugi, Kenyan distance runner
- Merlene Ottey, Jamaican sprinter
- Tamara Press, Soviet thrower
- Tatyana Shikolenko, Russian javelin thrower
11 May:
- Willie Applegarth, British sprinter
- Lydia Cheromei, Kenyan distance runner
- Tomáš Dvořák, Czech decathlete
- Hagos Gebrhiwet, Ethiopian distance runner
- Helge Løvland, Norwegian decathlete
- Tsuyoshi Ogata, Japanese distance runner
- Jürgen Schult, German discus thrower
- Simon Vroemen, Dutch steeplechase runner
Related portals
More did you know
- ... that 1985 NCAA hurdling champion Thomas Wilcher won the Michigan High School Athletic Association team track & field championship three consecutive times, both as an athlete and a coach?
- ... that Charlie Fonville broke a 14-year-old shot put world record by almost twelve inches at the 1948 Kansas Relays but was not allowed to stay with the other athletes because he was African-American?
- ... that the Peachtree Road Race, held annually on July 4 (U.S. Independence Day) in Atlanta, Georgia, is the world's largest 10 kilometer road race with 55,000 runners participating in 2007?
- ... that Patrick Ivuti's photo finish victory in the 2007 Chicago Marathon, one of the five major marathons, was his first marathon victory?
| Archive |
Selected biography
Daniel Dion O'Brien (born July 18, 1966) is an American former decathlete and Olympic gold medalist. He won the Olympic title in 1996, three consecutive world championships (1991, 1993, 1995), and set the world record in 1992. (Full article...)
As the 1991 world champion, O'Brien entered the Olympic year of 1992 as the favorite to win gold in the decathlon in Barcelona and be proclaimed as the "world's greatest athlete." However, during the U.S. Olympic Trials at Tad Gormley Stadium in New Orleans in late June, O'Brien had a disaster in the eighth event, the pole vault. After passing at the first four (lower) heights, O'Brien entered the competition at 15 ft 9 in (4.80 m), and failed to clear the bar on all three attempts. As a result, he scored no points and dropped from first to eleventh place among the 24 decathletes.[1][2] He did not make the Olympic team for Barcelona, but he continued to train for the competition held in France a few weeks after the Olympics ended.[3]
O'Brien regrouped and set a world record of 8,891 points in early September in Talence, France.[4][5][6][7] His marks were as follows: 100 meters in 10.43 seconds (with a tailwind); Long Jump 26 ft 6¼ in (8.08 m); Shot Put 54 ft 9¼ in (16.69 m); High Jump 6 ft 9½ in (2.07 m); 400 meters 48.51 seconds, for a first day total of 4,720 points; Day two 110 Meter High Hurdles in 13.98 seconds; Discus 159 ft 4 inches (48.56m); Pole Vault 16 ft 4¾ in (5.00 m); Javelin 205 ft 4 in (62.58m); 1,500 meter run in 4 minutes 42.10 seconds = total 8,891 points).
This stood as the world record until 1999,[8] and the American record for nearly twenty years, until Ashton Eaton broke it in 2012 at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon. O'Brien was in attendance at Hayward Field and congratulated Eaton shortly after he completed the 1500 meters for a new world record of 9,039 points.[9]
At the Olympics in Atlanta in 1996, O'Brien won the gold medal with 8,824 points, 118 ahead of runner-up Frank Busemann of Germany.[10][11][12] After a break from competition, he won the Goodwill Games title in 1998, held east of New York City on Long Island, his eleventh consecutive win since 1992.[13] A plantar fascia injury to his left foot in July 2000, shortly before the U.S. Olympic Trials, caused his withdrawal and he did not defend his title.[14][15] Injuries continued and prevented his return to the Olympic trials in 2004.[16]
| More selected biographies |
Did you know (auto-generated) -
- ... that the men's 100 metres event at the 2023 British Athletics Championships was run in heavy rain?
- ... 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 Nahuel Carabaña turned around mid-race at the 2022 European Athletics Championships to help an injured competitor?
- ... that Femke Bol successfully defended her 2021 title by winning the women's 400 metres at the 2023 European Athletics Indoor Championships?
- ... that Mokulubete Makatisi placed eighth at the 2022 Commonwealth Games women's marathon despite running in new shoes that she had received on the eve of the race?
- ... 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 Femke Bol won the women's 400 metres hurdles at the 2024 European Athletics Championships in a championship record of 52.49 seconds?
- ... that four-time NAIA scoring champion Grace Beyer has scored more career points than any female basketball player at a four-year college or university?
World records
Topics
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Athletics events
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Athletics competitions
From the first edition at the 1896 Summer Games, athletics has been considered the "queen" of the Olympics. Today, there are several other athletics championships organized at global and continental levels. Athletics also serves as the main focus of many multi-sport events such as the World University Games, Mediterranean Games, and Pan American Games. The following is a list of prominent athletics competitions.
| 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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Sources
- ^ Anderson, Curtis (June 28, 1992). "The Dan and Dave show is over". Eugene Register-Guard. p. 1E.
- ^ "Tragic day at the Trials". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Idaho Washington. June 29, 1992. p. 1C.
- ^ Gillespie, Kerry (July 3, 2016). "For Damian Warner, four years of training comes to fruition at Rio Olympics in August - Toronto Star". thestar.com. Retrieved January 14, 2017.
- ^ Rodman, Bob (September 6, 1992). "Dan O'Brien earns decathlon world record". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 1E.
- ^ "Definitely Dan's day: O'Brien sets decathlon mark". Observer-Reporter. Washington, Pennsylvania. Associated Press. September 6, 1992. p. C8.
- ^ "Dan O'Brien breaks Daley's world record". Reading Eagle. Pennsylvania. news services. September 6, 1992. p. D3.
- ^ Rodman, Bob (June 14, 1993). "O'Brien takes aim at decathlon mark". Eugene Register-Guard. Oregon. p. 4B.
- ^ "Dvorak tops O'Brien's world decathlon mark". Sarasota Herald Tribune. Florida. Associated Press. July 5, 1999. p. 2C.
- ^ "9039 points! Eaton breaks world record before a home crowd in Eugene". IAAF. June 24, 2012. Retrieved July 12, 2016.
- ^ Baum, Bob (August 2, 1996). "O'Brien buries memories of '92". Eugene Register-Guard. Associated Press. p. 1C.
- ^ Powell, Shaun (August 2, 1996). "O'Brien endures to win decathlon". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. (Newsday). p. 1C.
- ^ Ventre, Michael (August 2, 1992). "O'Brien strikes Olympic gold". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Idaho-Washington. (Los Angeles Daily News). p. 1B.
- ^ Rosenthal, Bert (July 21, 1998). "Still the greatest". Ocala Star-Banner. Florida. Associated Press. p. 1D.
- ^ Baum, Bob (July 19, 2000). "O'Brien bows out of Olympic trials". Moscow-Pullman Daily News. Idaho-Washington. Associated Press. p. 1B.
- ^ "Injured foot to keep O'Brien from trials". Toledo Blade. Ohio. Associated Press. July 19, 2000. p. 7C.
- ^ "Injured O'Brien 'officially done' with decathlon". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 9, 2004. p. C2.
