Track & Field
Track and Field is a collection of sporting contests based on the universal human athletic skills of running, jumping, and throwing. Occurring within the central space of an oval running track or on the track itself, the competitions that make up Track and Field meets are some of the oldest sports in history and remain the core competitions of the Summer Olympic Games. Track and Field events are split into three main categories: track events (running), field events (throwing and jumping), and combined events (decathlons with a single athlete performing in multiple events).
Running tracks are used for sprints (100m, 200m, 400m), middle distance runs (800m, 1500m), long distance runs (3km Steeplechase, 5km, 10km), hurdles (110/100m, 400m), and relays (4x100m, 4x400m).
Field based events in track and field include both jumping and throwing events. Jumping events include the Long Jump, Triple Jump, High Jump, and Pole Vault. Throwing events include the Shot Put, Discus Throw, Javelin Throw, and Hammer Throw.
The first Olympic Games occurred in 776 BC in Olympia, Greece and only included the stadion race which was a 590’ | 180 m footrace.
