Athletics

Athletics, or Track and Field, is an Olympic sport where athletes compete in a range of events involving running, jumping and throwing. Athletics has been at the centre of the Olympics since the modern games were inaugurated in 1896, and in the present day has more medals to be won than any other sport. Athletics is an important sport at schools and colleges in the United States, and as a result America is one of the most successful nations in track and field. Other countries often specialise in one area of athletics, for example Jamaica (sprinting) and Kenya (distance running).

Events

Running events

• 100 m
• 200 m
• 400 m
• 800 m
• 1500 m
• 5000 m
• 10000 m
• Marathon
• 110 m hurdles (men)/100 m hurdles (women)
• 400 m hurdles
• 3000 m steeplechase

Jumping events

• Long jump
• High jump
• Triple jump (or hop, skip and jump)
• Pole vault

Throwing events

• Shot put
• Discus
• Javelin
• Hammer

Combined events

• Decathlon, where men compete in ten separate events over two days.
• Heptathlon, the women's equivalent, which features seven events.

Gender equality

In the mid-twentieth century, women competed in far fewer events than men. Gradually, women have been allowed to do more and more, until in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing the only differences were running 100 m rather than 110 m in the sprint hurdles, and competing in the heptathlon rather than the decathlon. Some of the last events to be added were pole vault, hammer and steeplechase.