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The sport of athletics is defined by the many events which make up its competition programmes. All
events with the sport are forms of running, walking, jumping or throwing. These events are divided
into the sub-sports of track and field, road running, and race walking and cross country running.

VARIOUS EVENTS:-

1. 100 m:-

The 100 metres (spelt meters in US), or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field
competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and
prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since
1896 for men and since 1928 for women. The 100 m (109.361 yards) emerged from the metrication
of the 100 yards (91.4 m), a now defunct distance originally contested in English-speaking countries.
The event is largely held outdoors as few indoor facilities have a 100 m straight.

World
Olympic
World
Olympic

100m Start Position

Men's records
Usain Bolt 9.58 (2009)
Usain Bolt 9.63 (2012)
Women's records
Florence Griffith 10.49 (1988)
Florence Griffith 10.62 (1988)

2. 200 m:-

The 200 metres (also spelled 200 meters) is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the
race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed
to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track,
was the first recorded event at the ancient Olympic Games. The 200 m places more emphasis on
speed endurance than shorter sprint distances as athletes rely on different energy systems during
the longer sprint.

Men's records
World

Jamaica Usain Bolt 19.19 (2009)

Olympic

Jamaica Usain Bolt 19.30 (2008)

Women's records

World

United States Florence Griffith 21.34 (1988)

Olympic

United States Florence Griffith 21.34 (1988)

Figure 1:- 200 m Start

3. 400 m:-

The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field
competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since
1896 (1964 for women). On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the
track. Runners start in staggered positions and race in separate lanes for the entire course. In
many countries, athletes previously competed in the 440 yard dash (402.336 m)which is
the length of a quarter of a mile and was referred to as the 'quarter-mile'instead of the
400 m (437.445 yards), though this distance is now obsolete. An athlete who competes in the
400 m may still be referred to as 'quarter-miler'; the distance or event might still be called the
"quarter."
Maximum sprint speed capability is a significant contributing factor to success in the event,
but athletes also require substantial speed endurance and the ability to cope well with high
amounts of lactic acid to sustain a fast speed over a whole lap. While considered to be
predominantly an anaerobic event, there is some aerobic involvement and the degree of
aerobic training required for 400 metre athletes is open to debate.

Men's records
World

United States Michael Johnson 43.18 (1999)

Olympic

United States Michael Johnson 43.49 (1996)

Women's records

World

East Germany Marita Koch 47.60 (1985)

Olympic

France Marie-Jos Prec 48.25 (1996)

Figure 2:- 400 m race at finish point

4. 800 m:-

The 800 metres, or 800-meter run, is a common track running event. It is the shortest
common middle-distance track event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of the track (400
metre track) and has been an Olympic event since the first games in 1896. During indoor
track season the event is usually run on a 200 metre track, therefore requiring four laps.
The event was derived from the imperial measurement of a half a mile, a traditional English
racing distance. Imperial racing distances were common in the United States. American high
schools (in the name of the NFHS) were the last to convert to metric distances in 1980,
following the NCAA's conversion in 1976. Countries associated to the English system
converted to metric distances after the 1966 Commonwealth Games. 800 m is 4.67 m less
than half a mile.

Men's records
World

David Rudisha 1:40.91 (2012)

Olympic

David Rudisha 1:40.91 (2012)

Women's records

World

Jarmila Kratochvlov 1:53.28 (1983)

Olympic

Nadezhda Olizarenko 1:53.43 (1980)

Figure 3:- 800 m race in progress.

5. 1500 m:-

The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (approximately 1516 mile) is the foremost middle
distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics
since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletics since 1983.
The demands of the race are similar to that of the 800 metres, but with a slightly higher
emphasis on aerobic endurance and a slightly lower sprint speed requirement. The 1500
metre race is predominantly aerobic, but anaerobic conditioning is also required.
Each lap run during the world-record race run by Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco in 1998 in
Rome, Italy averaged just under 55 seconds (or under 13.8 seconds per 100 metres). 1,500
metres is three and three-quarter laps around a 400-metre track. During the 1970s and 1980s
this race was dominated by British runners, along with an occasional Finn, American, or New
Zealander, but through the 1990s a large number of African runners began to take over in
being the masters of this race, with runners from Kenya, Morocco, and Algeria winning the
Olympic gold medals. The 2012 Olympic champion is from Algeria.

Men's records
World

Hicham El Guerrouj (MAR) 3:26.00 (1998)

Olympic

Noah Ngeny (KEN) 3:32.07 (2000)

Women's records

World

Qu Yunxia (CHN) 3:50.46 (1993)

Olympic

Paula Ivan (ROM) 3:53.96 (1988)

Figure 4:- 1500 m race in progress.

6. 5000 m:-

The 5000 metres or 5000-meter run (approximately 3.1 mi or 16,404 ft) is a common longdistance running event in track and field. It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games
and the World Championships in Athletics. The 5000 m track race is usually distinguished
from its road running counterpart, the 5K run, by referring to the distance in metres, rather
than kilometres.
The 5000 m has been present on the Olympic programme since 1912 for men and since 1996
for women. Prior to 1996, women had competed in an Olympic 3000 metres race since 1984.
The 5000 m is a standard international championship racing distance and has been held at the
World Championships in Athletics since its first edition in 1983.
The event is almost the same length as the dolichos race held at the Ancient Olympic Games,
introduced in 720 BCE. While mainly run as an outdoor event, the 5000 m is sometimes run
on an indoor track. The IAAF keeps official records for both outdoor and indoor 5000 m
track events.

Men's records
World

Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 12:37.35 (2004)

Olympic

Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 12:57.82 (2008)

Women's records

World

Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 14:11.15 (2008)

Olympic

Gabriela Szabo (ROM) 14:40.79 (2000)

Figure 5:- 5000m race in progress.

7. 10,000 m :-

The 10,000 metres or 10,000-meter run is a common long-distance track running event. The
event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Championships
in Athletics and is common at championship level events. It is less commonly held at track
and field meetings, due to its duration. The 10,000 metres track race is usually distinguished
from its road running counterpart, the 10K run, by the referring to the distance in metres,
rather than kilometres.
The 10,000 metres is the longest standard track event. The imperial distance is equal to 6.214
miles (or, approximately 32,808.399 feet). Most of those running such races also compete in
road races and cross country events.
Added to the Olympic program in 1912, the 10,000 m is the longest standard track event.
Athletes from Finland, nicknamed the "Flying Finns", dominated the event until the late
1940s. In the 1960s, African runners began to come to the fore. In 1988, the women's
competition debuted in the Olympic Games.
Men's records
World

Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 26:17.53 (2005)

Olympic

Kenenisa Bekele (ETH) 27:01.17 (2008)

Women's records

World

Wang Junxia (CHN) 29:31.78 (1993)

Olympic

Tirunesh Dibaba (ETH) 29:54.66 (2008)

Figure 6:- Taisto Mki breaks the 30-minute barrier in 1939.

Figure 7:- 10,000m race in progress.

8. 110m Hurdles:-

The 110 metres hurdles, or 110-meter hurdles, is a hurdling track and field event for men. It is
included in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympic Games. The female counterpart is the
100 metres hurdles. As part of a racing event, ten hurdles of 1.067 metres (3.5 ft or 42 inches) in
height are evenly spaced along a straight course of 110 metres. They are positioned so that they will
fall over if bumped into by the runner. Fallen hurdles do not carry a fixed time penalty for the
runners, but they have a significant pull-over weight which slows down the run. Like the 100 metres
sprint, the 110 metres hurdles begins in the starting blocks.

Men's records
World

Aries Merritt 12.80 (2012)

Olympic

Liu Xiang 12.91 (2004)

Figure 8:- 110m Hurdles race.

9. 100m Hurdles:-

The 100 metres hurdles, or 100-meter hurdles, is a track and field event run mainly by women (the
male counterpart is the 110 metres hurdles). For the race ten hurdles of a height of 83.8 centimetres
(2.75 ft) are placed evenly spaced along a straight course of 100 metres (110 yd). They are
positioned so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner, but weighted so it is
disadvantageous. Fallen hurdles don't count against runners so long as they don't run into them on
purpose. Like the 100 metres sprint the 100 m hurdles begins with athletes in starting blocks.

World

Bulgaria Yordanka Donkova 12.21 (1988)

Olympic

Australia Sally Pearson 12.35 (2012)

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10.

400 m Hurdles:-

The 400 metres hurdles is a track and field hurdling event. The event has been on the
Olympic athletics programme since 1900 for men and since 1984 for women.
On a standard outdoor track, 400 metres is the length of the inside lane once around the
stadium. Runners stay in their lanes the entire way after starting out of the blocks and must
clear ten hurdles that are evenly spaced around the track. The hurdles are positioned and
weighted so that they fall forward if bumped into with sufficient force, to prevent injury to
the runners. Although there is no longer any penalty for knocking hurdles over, runners prefer
to clear them cleanly, as touching them during the race slows runners down.

Men's records
World

Kevin Young 46.78 (1992)

Olympic

Kevin Young 46.78 (1992)

Women's records

World

Yuliya Pechonkina 52.34 (2003)

Olympic

Melaine Walker 52.64 (2008)

Figure 9: 400m Hurdles

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11.

3000m Steeplechase:-

The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase is the most common distance for the
steeplechase in track and field. It is an obstacle race over the distance of the 3000 metres, which
derives its name from the horse racing steeplechase.
It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics; it is
also an event recognized by the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The
obstacles for the men are 914 millimetres (36.0 in) high, and for the women 762 millimetres
(30.0 in). The water jump consists of a barrier followed by a pit of water with a landing area 3.66
metres (12.0 ft) wide 0.70 metres (2.3 ft). It then slopes upward from 700 millimetres (28 in) deep
to level with the surface of the track.

Men's records
World

Saif Saaeed Shaheen 7:53.63 (2004)

Olympic

Julius Kariuki 8:05.51 (1988)

Women's records

World

Gulnara Galkina 8:58.81 (2008)

Olympic

Gulnara Galkina 8:58.81 (2008)

Figure 10:- A water jump passage at the 2014 Lithuanian Championships in Athletics.

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12.

Marathon:-

The marathon is a long-distance running event with an official distance of 42.195 kilometres
(26 miles and 385 yards), usually run as a road race. The event was instituted in
commemoration of the fabled run of the Greek soldier Pheidippides, a messenger from the
Battle of Marathon to Athens.
The marathon was one of the original modern Olympic events in 1896, though the distance
did not become standardized until 1921. More than 500 marathons are held throughout the
world each year, with the vast majority of competitors being recreational athletes as larger
marathons can have tens of thousands of participants.

Figure 11:-Competitors during the 2007 Berlin Marathon

Figure 12:-Competitors during the 2014 Orlen Warsaw Marathon

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13.

20 Kilometres Race Walk:-

The 20 kilometre race walk is an Olympic athletics event that is competed by both men and women.
The racewalking event is competed as a road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the
ground and the supporting leg must remain straight until the raised leg passes it. (20 kilometres is
12.4274 miles)

Men's records
World

Vladimir Kanaykin 1:17:16 (2007)

Women's records

World

Elena Lashmanova 1:25:02 (2012)

Figure 13:- The men's 20 km race walk at the 2005 World Championships in Athletics

14.

50 Kilometres Race Walk:-

The 50 kilometre race walk is an Olympic athletics event. The racewalking event is competed as a
road race. Athletes must always keep in contact with the ground and the supporting leg must remain
straight until the raised leg passes it. (50 kilometre is 31.0686 miles)

Men's records
World

Yohann Diniz 3:32:33 (2014)

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15.

4 100 meters relay

The 4 100 metres relay or sprint relay is an athletics track event run in lanes over one lap
of the track with four runners completing 100 metres each. The first runners begin in the
same stagger as for the individual 400 m race. A relay baton is carried by each runner and
must be passed within a 20 m changeover box (usually marked by yellow lines) which
extends 10 m on either side of each 100 m mark of the race. Another line is marked 10 m
further back, marking the earliest point at which the outgoing runner may begin (giving up to
10 m of acceleration before entering the passing zone).
Transferring of the baton in this race is typically blind. The outgoing runner reaches a straight
arm backwards when they enter the changeover box, or when the incoming runner makes a
verbal signal. The outgoing runner does not look backwards, and it is the responsibility of the
incoming runner to thrust the baton into the outstretched hand, and not let go until the
outgoing runner takes hold of it. Runners on the first and third legs typically run on the inside
of the lane with the baton in their right hand, while runners on the second and fourth legs take
the baton in their left. Polished handovers can compensate for a lack of basic speed to some
extent, and disqualification for dropping the baton or failing to transfer it within the box is
common, even at the highest level.

Figure 14:- The finish at the Osaka 2007 world championship

The current men's world record stands at 36.84 as set by the Jamaican team at the 2012 London
Olympic games on 11 August 2012. So far, the only team to break 37 seconds. The previous record
was 37.04 seconds as set by the Jamaican team at the 2011 World Championships. The fastest
electronically timed anchor leg run is 8.70 seconds by Asafa Powell in the 2008 Beijing Olympic final
(and later matched by Usain Bolt in the 2012 London Olympic final). Bob Hayes was hand-timed as
running between 8.5 and 8.9 seconds on a cinder track at the 1964 Tokyo Games.

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4 400 meters relay

The 4 400 metres relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams comprise
four runners who each complete 400 metres or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a
track meet. At top class events, the first 500 metres is run in lanes. Start lines are thus
staggered over a greater distance than in an individual 400 metres race; the runners then
typically move to the inside of the track.
Relay race runners typically carry a relay baton which they must transfer between teammates.
Runners have a 20 m box (usually marked with blue lines) in which to transfer the baton. The
first transfer is made within the staggered lane lines; for the second and third transfers,
runners typically line up across the track despite the fact that runners are usually running in
line on the inside of the track. This prevents confusion and collisions during transfer. Unlike
the 4 100 m relay, runners in the 4 400 typically look back and grasp the baton from the
incoming runner, due to the fatigue of the incoming runner, and the wider margins allowed
by the longer distance of the race. Consequently, disqualification is rare.

Men's Outdoor World Record

Country
USA

Members

Venue

Date

Andrew Valmon, Quincy Watts, Butch Reynolds, Stuttgart, Germany 22 August

Michael Johnson
1993
Women's Outdoor World Record
Country
USSR

Members

Venue

Tatyana Ledovskaya (BLR), Olga Nazarova Seoul,

(RUS), Mariya Pinigina (UKR), Olga Bryzgina Korea
(UKR)

Date

Time
2:54.29
Time

1 October 3:15.17
1988

Figure 15:- 4 400 m men relay at the European Championships in Barcelona 2010

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16.

Pole Vault

Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole (which
today is usually made either of fiberglass or carbon fiber) as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole
jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, Cretans and Celts. It has been a full
medal event at the Olympic Games since 1896 for men and 2000 for women.
It is typically classified as one of the four major jumping events in athletics, alongside the
high jump, long jump and triple jump. It is unusual among track and field sports in that it
requires a significant amount of specialised equipment in order to participate, even at a basic
level. A number of elite pole vaulters have had backgrounds in gymnastics, including world
record breakers Yelena Isinbayeva and Brian Sternberg, reflecting the similar physical
attributes required for the sports.

Men's records
World

Renaud Lavillenie 6.16 m (20 ft 212 in) (2014)

Olympic

Renaud Lavillenie 5.97 m (19 ft 7 in) (2012)

Women's records

World

Yelena Isinbayeva 5.06 m (16 ft 7 in) (2009)

Olympic

Yelena Isinbayeva 5.05 m (16 ft 634 in) (2008)

Figure 16:- An athlete in the middle of the vaulting phase

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17.

High Jump

The high jump is a track and field event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal
bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices. In its modern most
practiced format, auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have
changed over the years. Over the centuries since, competitors have introduced increasingly
more effective techniques to arrive at the current form.
Javier Sotomayor (Cuba) is the current men's record holder with a jump of
2.45 m (8 ft 014 in) set in 1993, the longest standing record in the history of the men's high
jump. Stefka Kostadinova (Bulgaria) has held the women's world record at
2.09 m (6 ft 1014 in) since 1987, also the longest-held record in the event.

Men's records
World

Javier Sotomayor 2.45 m (8 ft 014 in) (1993)

Olympic

Charles Austin 2.39 m (7 ft 10 in) (1996)

Women's records

World

Stefka Kostadinova 2.09 m (6 ft 1014 in) (1987)

Olympic

Yelena Slesarenko 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) (2004)

Figure 17:- Yelena Slesarenko using the Fosbury Flop technique at 2004 Summer Olympics.

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18.

Long Jump

The long jump (historically called the broad jump) is a track and field event in which athletes
combine speed, strength, and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a take off point.
This event has a history in the Ancient Olympic Games and has been a modern Olympic event for
men since the first Olympics in 1896 and for women since 1948.
At the elite level, competitors run down a runway (usually coated with the same rubberized surface
as running tracks, crumb rubber also vulcanized rubberknown generally as an all-weather track)
and jump as far as they can from a wooden board 20 cm or 8 inches wide that is built flush with the
runway into a pit filled with finely ground gravel or sand. If the competitor starts the leap with any
part of the foot past the foul line, the jump is declared a foul and no distance is recorded. A layer of
plasticine is placed immediately after the board to detect this occurrence. An official (similar to a
referee) will also watch the jump and make the determination. The competitor can initiate the jump
from any point behind the foul line; however, the distance measured will always be perpendicular to
the foul line to the nearest break in the sand caused by any part of the body or uniform. Therefore, it
is in the best interest of the competitor to get as close to the foul line as possible. Competitors are
allowed to place two marks along the side of the runway in order to assist them to jump accurately.
At a lesser meet and facilities, the plasticine will likely not exist, the runway might be a different
surface or jumpers may initiate their jump from a painted or taped mark on the runway. At a smaller
meet, the number of attempts might also be limited to four or three.For record purposes, the
maximum accepted wind assistance is two metres per second (m/s) (4.5 mph).

Men's records
World

Mike Powell 8.95 m (29 ft 414 in) (1991)

Olympic

Bob Beamon 8.90 m (29 ft 214 in) (1968)

Women's records

World

Galina Chistyakova 7.52 m (24 ft 8 in) (1988)

Olympic

Jackie Joyner 7.40 m (24 ft 314 in) (1988)

Figure 18:- Long jumper at the GE Money Grand Prix in Helsinki, July 2005.

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19.

Triple Jump

The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and
jump, is a track and field sport, similar to the long jump. The competitor runs down the track
and performs a hop, a bound and then a jump into the sand pit. The triple jump was inspired
by the ancient Olympic Games and has been a modern Olympics event since the Games'
inception in 1896.
According to IAAF rules, "the hop shall be made so that an athlete lands first on the same
foot as that from which he has taken off; in the step he shall land on the other foot, from
which, subsequently, the jump is performed."
The current male and female world record holders are Jonathan Edwards of Great Britain,
with a jump of 18.29 m (60 ft 0 in), and Inessa Kravets of Ukraine, with a jump of
15.50 m (50 ft 10 in). Both records were set during 1995 World Championships in
Gothenburg.

Men's records
World

Jonathan Edwards 18.29 m (60 ft 0 in) (1995)

Olympic

Kenny Harrison 18.09 m (59 ft 4 in) (1996)

Women's records

World

Inessa Kravets 15.50 m (50 ft 10 in) (1995)

Olympic

Franoise Mbango 15.39 m (50 ft 534 in) (2008)

Figure 19:- Former world record holder Willie Banks.

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20.

Shot Put

The shot put (pronounced /t pt/) is a track and field event involving "throwing"/"putting"
(throwing in a pushing motion) a heavy spherical object the shotas far as possible. The shot put
competition for men has been a part of the modern Olympics since their revival in 1896, and
women's competition began in 1948.

Homer makes mention of competitions of rock throwing by soldiers during the Siege of Troy
but there is no record of any dead weights being thrown in Greek competitions. The first
evidence for stone- or weight-throwing events were in the Scottish Highlands, and date back
to approximately the first century. In the 16th century King Henry VIII was noted for his
prowess in court competitions of weight and hammer throwing.
Competitors take their throw from inside a marked circle 2.135 metres (7.00 ft) in diameter,
with a stopboard about 10 centimetres (3.9 in) high at the front of the circle. The distance
thrown is measured from the inside of the circumference of the circle to the nearest mark
made in the ground by the falling shot, with distances rounded down to the nearest centimetre
under IAAF and WMA rules.

Men's records
World

Randy Barnes 23.12 m (1990)

Olympic

Ulf Timmermann 22.47 m (1988)

Women's records

World

Natalya Lisovskaya 22.63 m (1987)

Olympic

Ilona Slupianek 22.41 m (1980)

Figure 20:- The double Olympic champion Tomasz Majewski.

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21.

Discus Throw

The discus throw ( pronunciation) is a track and field event in which an athlete throws a heavy
disccalled a discusin an attempt to mark a farther distance than his or her competitors. It is an
ancient sport, as evidenced by the fifth-century-B.C. Myron statue, Discobolus. Although not part of
the modern pentathlon, it was one of the events of the ancient Greek pentathlon, which can be
dated at least to 708 BC.

The discus throw is a routine part of most modern track-and-field meets at all levels and is a
sport which is particularly iconic of the Olympic Games. The men's competition has been a
part of the modern Summer Olympic Games since the first Olympiad in 1896. Images of
discus throwers figured prominently in advertising for early modern Games, such as
fundraising stamps for the 1896 games and the main posters for the 1920 and 1948 Summer
Olympics.
The women's competition was added to the Olympic program in the 1928 games, although
they had been competing at some national and regional levels previously.

Men's records
World

Jrgen Schult (GDR) 74.08 m (1986)

Olympic

Virgilijus Alekna (LTU) 69.89 m (2004)

Women's records

World

Gabriele Reinsch (GDR) 76.80 m (1988)

Olympic

Martina Hellmann (GDR) 72.30 m (1988)

Figure 21:- The Olympic champion Robert Harting.

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22.

Hammer Throw

The hammer throw is one of the four throwing events in regular track and field competitions, along
with the discus throw, shot put and javelin.

With roots dating back to the 15th century, the contemporary version of the hammer throw is
one of the oldest of Olympic Games competitions, first included at the 1900 games in Paris,
France (the second Olympiad of the modern era). Its history since the late 1960s and legacy
prior to inclusion in the Olympics have been dominated by European and Eastern European
influence, which has had an impact on interest in the event in other parts of the world.
The hammer evolved from its early informal origins to become part of the Scottish Highland
games in the late 18th century, where the original version of the event is still contested today.
It is believed that, like many Highland games events, the origin of the hammer throw is tied
to a prohibition by King Edward I of England against Scotsmen possessing weapons during
the Wars of Scottish Independence in the late 13th and early 14th centuries.

Men
Rank

Mark

Athlete

Location

Date

86.74 m (284 ft 634 in)

Yuriy Sedykh (URS)

Stuttgart

30 August 1986

86.73 m (284 ft 612 in)

Ivan Tsikhan (BLR)

Brest

3 July 2005

Berlin

31 August 2014

Halle

21 May 2011

Women
1
2

Anita
(POL) (GER)
79.42 m (260 ft 634 in) Wodarczyk
Betty Heidler
79.58 m (261 ft 1 in)

Figure 22:- The traditional Highland games version of event.

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23.

Javelin Throw

The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about 2.5 m (8 ft 2 in) in
length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area.
Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the women's heptathlon.
During the era between the Mycenaean times and the Roman Empire, the javelin was a commonly
used offensive weapon. Being lighter than the spear, the javelin would be thrown rather than thrust
and thus allowed long distance attacks against ones enemy. Athletes, however, used javelins that
were much lighter than military ones because the idea of the event was to demonstrate distance
rather than penetration. The one major difference between the javelin of the ancient games and the
javelin of more modern times is a leather thong, called an ankyle that was wound around the middle
of the shaft. Athletes would hold the javelin by the thong and when the javelin was released this
thong unwound giving the javelin a spiraled flight.

Men
Rank

Mark

Athlete

98.48

Jan elezn (CZE)

93.09

Aki Parviainen (FIN)

Place

Date

Jena

1996-05-25

Kuortane

1999-06-26

Women
1

72.28

Barbora potkov (CZE)

Stuttgart

2008-09-13

71.99

Mariya Abakumova (RUS)

Daegu

2011-09-02

Figure 23:- World Athletics Championships 2007 in Osaka - German javelin thrower Stephan Steding

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24.

Heptathlon

A heptathlon is a track and field combined events contest made up of seven events. The
name derives from the Greek hepta (seven) and athlon (contest). A competitor in a heptathlon
is referred to as a heptathlete.
There are two heptathlons the women's heptathlon and the men's composed of different
events. The men's heptathlon is older and is held indoors, while the women's is held outdoors
and was introduced in the 1980s, first appearing in the Olympics in 1984.
Point system

The heptathlon scoring system was devised by Dr Karl Ulbrich, a Viennese mathematician.
The formulae are constructed so that, for each event, a designated "standard" performance
(for example, approximately 1.82 m for the high jump) scores 1000 points. Each event also
has a minimum recordable performance level (e.g. 0.75 m for the high jump), corresponding
to zero points. The formulae are devised so that successive constant increments in
performance correspond to gradually increasing increments in points awarded.
Event

200 metres

4.99087

42.5

1.81

800 metres

0.11193

254

1.88

100 metres hurdles

9.23076

26.7

1.835

High jump

1.84523

75.0

1.348

Long jump

0.188807

210

1.41

Shot put

56.0211

1.50

1.05

Javelin throw

15.9803

3.80

1.04

The events are split into three groups, and the scores are calculated according to the three
formulae:
Running events (200 m, 800 m and 100 m hurdles):

Jumping events (high jump and long jump):

Throwing events (shot put and javelin):

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P is for points, T is for time in seconds, M is for height or length in centimeters and D is
length in meters. a, b and c have different values for each of the events (see table).

Women's records
World

Jackie Joyner-Kersee 7291 pts (1988)

Olympic

Jackie Joyner-Kersee 7291 pts (1988)

Figure 24:- Heptathletes at Beijing 2008

25.

Decathlon

The decathlon is a combined event in athletics consisting of ten track and field events. The
word decathlon is of Greek origin, from (dka, meaning "ten") and (thlos, or
, thlon, meaning "feat"). Events are held over two consecutive days and the winners
are determined by the combined performance in all. Performance is judged on a points
system in each event, not by the position achieved. The decathlon is contested mainly by
male athletes, while female athletes typically compete in the heptathlon.
Traditionally, the title of "World's Greatest Athlete" has been given to the man who wins the
Olympic decathlon. This began when King Gustav V of Sweden told Jim Thorpe, "You, sir,
are the world's greatest athlete" after Thorpe won the decathlon at the Stockholm Olympics in
1912. The current decathlon world record holder is American Ashton Eaton, who scored
9039 points at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials.
The event developed from the ancient pentathlon. Pentathlon competitions were held at the
ancient Greek Olympics. Pentathlons involved five disciplines long jump, discus throw,
javelin throw, sprint and a wrestling match. Introduced in Olympia during 708 BC, the

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competition was extremely popular for many centuries. By the sixth century BC, pentathlons
had become part of religious games. The Amateur Athletic Union held "all around events"
from the 1880s and a decathlon first appeared on the Olympic athletics program at the 1904
Games.

Points system
Event

100 m

25.4347

18

1.81

Long jump

0.14354

220

1.4

Shot put

51.39

1.5

1.05

High jump

0.8465

75

1.42

400 m

1.53775

82

1.81

110 m hurdles

5.74352

28.5

1.92

Discus throw

12.91

1.1

Pole vault

0.2797

100

1.35

Javelin throw

10.14

1.08

1500 m

0.03768

480

1.85

The 2001 IAAF points tables use the following formulae:

Points = INT(A(B P)C) for track events (faster time produces a better score)
Points = INT(A(P B)C) for field events (greater distance or height produces a better score)

A, B and C are parameters that vary by discipline, as shown in the table on the right, while P
is the performance by the athlete, measured in seconds (running), metres (throwing), or
centimetres (jumping).
The decathlon tables should not be confused with the scoring tables compiled by Bojidar
Spiriev, to allow comparison of the relative quality of performances by athletes in different
events. On those tables, for example, a decathlon score of 9,006 points equates to 1,265
"comparison points", the same number as a triple jump of 18 m.

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