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94-661: The annual track and field meet Weltklasse Zürich , part of the Diamond League , has taken place at the Letzigrund since 1928, as have frequent open-air concerts. On the Letzigrund track on 21 June 1960, Armin Hary was the first human to run the 100 metres in 10.0 seconds. The old Letzigrund stadium was opened on 22 November 1925 and was owned by FC Zürich . In 1937, during the Great Depression , ownership

188-443: A sandpit . The athletes must jump before a marked line and their achieved distance is measured from the nearest point of sand disturbed by the athlete's body. The athletics competition at the first Olympics featured a men's long jump competition and a women's competition was introduced at the 1948 Summer Olympics . Professional long jumpers typically have strong acceleration and sprinting abilities. However, athletes must also have

282-439: A water jump on each lap. Despite the long history of men's steeplechase in track and field, the women's steeplechase only gained World Championship status in 2005, with its first Olympic appearance in 2008. The long jump is one of the oldest track and field events, having its roots as one of the events within the ancient Greek pentathlon contest. The athletes would take a short run up and jump into an area of dug up earth, with

376-501: A 120-yard race (110 m) with ten hurdles of 3-foot and 6 inches (1.06 m) in height (each placed 10 yards (9 m) apart), with the first and final hurdles 15 yards from the start and finish, respectively. French organisers adapted the race into metric (adding 28 cm) and the basics of this race, the men's 110 metres hurdles , has changed little. The origin of the 400 metres hurdles also lies in Oxford, where around 1860

470-402: A certain distance. There are two types of field events: jumps and throws. In jumping competitions, athletes are judged on either the length or height of the jumps. The performances of jumping events for distance are measured from a board or marker, and overstepping this mark is judged as a foul. In the jumps for height, an athlete must clear their body over a crossbar without knocking the bar off

564-482: A competition was held over 440 yards and twelve 1.06 m high wooden barriers were placed along the course. The modern regulations stem from the 1900 Summer Olympics : the distance was fixed to 400 m while ten 3-foot (91.44 cm) hurdles were placed 35 m apart on the track, with the first and final hurdles being 45 m and 40 m away from the start and finish, respectively. Women's hurdles are slightly lower at 84 cm (2 ft 9 in) for

658-519: A competitive running track is 400 m (1,312.3 ft). Some tracks are not built to this specification, instead being a legacy to imperial distances such as 440 yd (402.336 m), equivalent to a quarter of a mile. Prior to rule changes in 1979, distances in Imperial units were still used in the United States. Some facilities build tracks to fit the available space, with one of

752-516: A consistent stride to allow them to take off near the board while still maintaining their maximum speed. In addition to the traditional long jump, a standing long jump contest exists which requires that athletes leap from a static position without a run-up. A men's version of this event featured on the Olympic programme from 1900 to 1912. As of 2024 , the men's long jump world record is held by Mike Powell , jumping 8.95 meters in 1991. Similar to

846-676: A crowd of over ten thousand people. In response, the Amateur Athletic Club was formed that same year and held a championship for "gentlemen amateurs" in an attempt to reclaim the sport for the educated elite. Ultimately the "allcomers" ethos of the NOA won through and in 1880 the AAC was reconstituted as the Amateur Athletic Association , the first national body for the sport of athletics . The AAA Championships ,

940-455: A cushioned landing area. The men's high jump was included in the 1896 Olympics and a women's competition followed in 1928. Jumping technique has played a significant part in the history of the event. High jumpers typically cleared the bar feet first in the late 19th century, using either the Scissors , Eastern cut-off or Western roll technique. The straddle technique became prominent in

1034-623: A decade later, the first Wenlock Olympian Games were held at Much Wenlock racecourse in 1851. It included a "half-mile foot race" (805 m) and a "leaping in distance" competition. In 1865, Dr William Penny Brookes of Wenlock helped set up the National Olympian Association , which held their first Olympian Games in 1866 at the Crystal Palace in London. This national event was a great success, attracting

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1128-879: A fully professional competition with the introduction of prize money in 1997, and in 1998 the IAAF Golden League —an annual series of major track and field meetings in Europe—raised the economic incentive through its US$ 1 million jackpot. In 2010, the series was replaced by the more lucrative Diamond League , a fourteen-meeting series held in Europe, Asia, North America, and the Middle East—the first-ever worldwide annual series of track and field meetings. Track and field events are divided into three categories: track events, field events and combined events. The majority of athletes tend to specialize in one event type with

1222-803: A higher standard, making a Mondotrack one of the most expensive systems to use. Examples of Mondotracks were used for the 1996 Summer Olympics (since removed from the Centennial Olympic Stadium ) in Atlanta , Georgia , United States; 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens , Greece ; 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing , China; 2012 Summer Olympics in London , United Kingdom and the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro , Brazil . Another player in

1316-500: A largely amateur sport, as this rule was strictly enforced: Jim Thorpe was stripped of his track and field medals from the 1912 Olympics after it was revealed that he had taken expense money for playing baseball, violating Olympic amateurism rules. His medals were reinstated 29 years after his death. That same year, the International Amateur Athletic Federation (IAAF) was established as

1410-403: A leg) before handing over a baton to a teammate, who then begins their leg. There is usually a designated area where athletes must exchange the baton. Teams may be disqualified if they fail to complete the change within the area, or if the baton is dropped during the race. A team may also be disqualified if its runners are deemed to have wilfully impeded other competitors. Relay races emerged in

1504-632: A masculine activity. On 9 November 1895, the first women's track meet in the United States was held and it was called "a field day". Alice Milliat argued for the inclusion of women at the Olympics, but the International Olympic Committee refused. She founded the International Women's Sports Federation in 1921 and, alongside a growing women's sports movement in Europe and North America, the group initiated of

1598-483: A number of different track and field events. Points are given for their performance in each event and the athlete or team with the highest score at the end of all events is the winner. Races over short distances, or sprints , are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event, the stadion race , which was a race from one end of

1692-399: A number of occasions in the 1940s. The prominence of the distances were maintained by Roger Bannister , who in 1954 was the first to run the long-elusive four-minute mile , and Jim Ryun 's exploits served to popularise interval training . Races between British rivals Sebastian Coe , Steve Ovett and Steve Cram characterised middle-distance running in the 1980s. From the 1990s until

1786-548: A reconstruction plan. At the same time, the owners of the Hardturm football stadium were also planning to reconstruct their stadium. In 2003, the new Hardturm stadium was approved by the city population in a public vote, but subsequently, legal objections by neighbourhood and environmental groups put the timely realisation for the EURO 2008 tournament, for which it was chosen by UEFA in 2002 as one of eight venues, in jeopardy. As

1880-484: A result, the planning process for the new Letzigrund stadium was accelerated. In 2005, the city population approved the reconstruction of the public stadium and the costs of temporarily adjusting the stadium to the requirements of EURO 2008 in two separate referenda. Originally planned for 2009, the new Letzigrund stadium was opened on August 30, 2007. The first sports event there was the annual Weltklasse Zürich on September 7 with 26,500 spectators. The first football game

1974-458: A single victor; the most prominent team events are relay races , which typically feature teams of four. Events are almost exclusively divided by gender, although both the men's and women's competitions are usually held at the same venue. Recently, "mixed" relay events have been introduced into meets, whereby two men and two women make up the four-person team. If a race has too many people to run all at once, preliminary heats will be run to narrow down

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2068-416: A small packed sand field. The old Letzigrund also contained a bar and a restaurant within the stadium. In the 1990s, the athletics club Zürich pushed for a modernisation of the facilities at Letzigrund, in order to even better accommodate the athletes of Weltklasse Zürich. In 1997, the city parliament decided favourably on an upgrade of the stadium, whereas the city administration was simultaneously working on

2162-469: A square throwing area of seven feet (2.13 m) on each side. This was amended to a circle area with a seven-foot diameter in 1906, and the weight of the shot was standardised to 16 pounds (7.26 kg). Throwing technique was also refined over this period, with bent arm throws being banned as they were deemed too dangerous and the side-step and throw technique arising in the United States in 1876. Running track An all-weather running track

2256-414: A strip of track, plant the pole in the metal box, and vault over the horizontal bar before letting go of the pole and falling backwards onto the landing mattress. While earlier versions used wooden, metal or bamboo, modern poles are generally made from artificial materials such as fibreglass or carbon fibre . The pole vault has been an Olympic event since 1896 for men, but it was over 100 years later that

2350-511: A women's version gained World Championship status and went on to have its first Olympic appearance three years later. The men's standing triple jump event featured at the Olympics in 1900 and 1904, but such competitions have since become very uncommon, although it is still used as a non-competitive exercise drill. The Current world record for the Men's triple jump is 18.29 meter (60 ft 0in) held by Jonathan Edwards. The current women's world record

2444-462: A world best in 1983, Olympic champions Michael Johnson and Donovan Bailey went head-to-head over the distance in 1997, and Usain Bolt improved Mennea's record in 2009. The most common middle-distance track events are the 800 metres , 1500 metres and mile run , although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 880 yard run , or half mile, was the forebear of

2538-509: Is 15.67 meters (51 ft 4 3/4in) held by Yulimar Rojas. The first recorded instances of high jumping competitions were in Scotland in the 19th century. Further competitions were organised in 1840 in England and in 1865 the basic rules of the modern event were standardised there. Athletes have a short run up and then take off from one foot to jump over a horizontal bar and fall back onto

2632-481: Is a rubberized, artificial running surface for track and field athletics. It provides a consistent surface for competitors to test their athletic ability unencumbered by adverse weather conditions. Historically, various forms of dirt, rocks, sand, and crushed cinders were used. Many examples of these varieties of track still exist worldwide. Starting in 1954, artificial surfaces using a combination of rubber and asphalt began to appear. An artificial warm-up track

2726-435: Is called Mondotrack . The surface differs from the particles stuck in adhesion techniques, in that they are more of a rubber carpet, cut to size then tightly seamed together (in the linear direction along the lane lines). This form of construction gives a more consistent bounce (or energy return) and traction. Because of the tight fit specifications required for manufacture, construction surrounding these sites also has to be of

2820-421: Is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events. Track and field is categorized under the umbrella sport of athletics , which also includes road running , cross country running and racewalking . In British English the term athletics is synonymous with American track and field and includes all jumping events. Outside of Canada and

2914-476: Is incorrect, suggesting that the belief stems from a mythologised account of Phayllus of Croton having jumped 55 ancient feet (around 16.3 m). The Book of Leinster , a 12th-century Irish manuscript, records the existence of geal-ruith (triple jump) contests at the Tailteann Games . The men's triple jump competition has been ever-present at the modern Olympics, but it was not until 1993 that

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3008-399: Is run in some levels of American competition. Outside of the hurdles events, the steeplechase race is the other track and field event with obstacles. Just as the hurdling events, the steeplechase finds its origin in student competition in Oxford, England. However, this event was born as a human variation on the original steeplechase competition found in horse racing . A steeplechase event

3102-417: Is the oldest running club in the world, with written records going back to 1831 and evidence that it was established by 1819. The school organised Paper Chase races in which runners followed a trail of paper shreds left by two "foxes"; even today RSSH runners are called "hounds" and a race victory is a "kill". The first definite record of Shrewsbury's cross-country Annual Steeplechase is in 1834, making it

3196-439: Is very common at the elite level, although they are not present at championship level competitions as all qualified competitors want to win. Long-distance track events gained popularity in the 1920s by the achievements of the " Flying Finns ", such as multiple Olympic champion Paavo Nurmi . The successes of Emil Zátopek in the 1950s promoted intense interval training methods, but Ron Clarke 's record-breaking feats established

3290-698: The Ancient Olympic include further running competitions, but the introduction of the Ancient Olympic pentathlon marked a step towards track and field as it is recognized today—it comprised a five-event competition of the long jump , javelin throw , discus throw , stadion footrace, and wrestling . Track and field events were also present at the Panhellenic Games in Greece around this period, and they spread to Rome in Italy around 201 BC. In

3384-706: The First British Track & Field championships for women and the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU) sponsoring the first American Track & Field championships for women . In China, women's track and field events were being held in the 1920s, but were subject to criticism and disrespect from audiences. Physical education advocate Zhang Ruizhen called for greater equality and participation of women in Chinese track and field. The rise of Kinue Hitomi and her 1928 Olympic medal for Japan signified

3478-481: The International Association of Athletics Federations ( IAAF ), is the international governing body for the sport of athletics. Records are kept of the best performances in specific events, at world , continental, and national levels. However, if athletes are deemed to have violated the event's rules or regulations, they are disqualified from the competition and their marks are erased. In

3572-653: The Middle Ages the stone put was known in Scotland and the steinstossen was recorded in Switzerland. In the 17th century, cannonball throwing competitions within the English military provided a precursor to the modern sport. The term "shot" originates from the use of round shot -style ammunition for the sport. The modern rules were first laid out in 1860 and required that competitors take legal throws within

3666-552: The Middle Ages , new track and field events began developing in parts of Northern Europe. The stone put and weight throw competitions popular among Celtic societies in Ireland and Scotland were precursors to the modern shot put and hammer throw events. One of the last track and field events to develop was the pole vault , which stemmed from competitions such as fierljeppen in North European Lowlands in

3760-582: The Soviet Union , and early 21st century Russia , as well as prominent individual cases such as those of Olympic gold medallists Ben Johnson and Marion Jones , damaged the public image and marketability of the sport. From the 1990s onward, track and field became increasingly more professional and international, as the IAAF gained over 200 member nations. The IAAF World Championships in Athletics became

3854-607: The Women's Olympiad , held annually from 1921 to 1923. In cooperation with the English Women's Amateur Athletic Association (WAAA), the Women's World Games was held four times between 1922 and 1934, as well as a Women's International and British Games in London in 1924. These efforts ultimately led to the introduction of five track and field events for women in the athletics at the 1928 Summer Olympics . National women's events were established in this period, with 1923 seeing

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3948-626: The de facto British national championships despite being for England only, have been held annually since July 1880 with breaks only during two world wars and 2006–2008. The AAA was effectively a global governing body in the early years of the sport, helping to codify its rules. Meanwhile, the New York Athletic Club in 1876 began holding an annual national competition, the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships . The establishment of general sports governing bodies for

4042-429: The international governing body for track and field, and it enshrined amateurism as a founding principle for the sport. The National Collegiate Athletic Association held their first Men's Outdoor Track and Field Championship in 1921, making it one of the most prestigious competitions for students. In 1923 track and field featured at the inaugural World Student Games . The first continental track and field competition

4136-494: The 100 m event and 76 cm (2 ft 6 in) for the 400 m event. The most common events are the 100 metres hurdles for women, 110 m hurdles for men and 400 m hurdles for both sexes. The men's 110 m has been featured at every modern Summer Olympics while the men's 400 m was introduced in the second edition of the Games. Women's initially competed in the 80 metres hurdles event, which entered

4230-474: The 18th century. Discrete track and field competitions, separate from general sporting festivals , were first recorded in the 19th century. These were typically organised among rival educational institutions , military organisations and sports clubs . Influenced by a Classics -rich curriculum, competitions in the English public schools were conceived as human equivalents of horse racing , fox hunting and hare coursing . The Royal Shrewsbury School Hunt

4324-712: The 1980s, the Soviet Bloc always fielded state-funded athletes who trained full-time, putting American and Western European athletes at a significant disadvantage. 1983 saw the establishment of the IAAF World Championships in Athletics , becoming, with the Olympics, one of track and field's most prestigious competitions. The profile of the sport reached an apogee in the 1980s, with a number of athletes becoming household names, like Carl Lewis , Sergey Bubka , Sebastian Coe , Zola Budd and Florence Griffith Joyner . Many world records were broken then, and

4418-402: The 200 m distances came from the furlong (or 1/8 of a mile ), and the 400 m was the successor to the 440 yard dash or quarter-mile race. At the professional level, sprinters begin the race by assuming a crouching position in the starting blocks before leaning forward and gradually moving into an upright position as the race progresses and momentum is gained. Athletes remain in

4512-783: The 2010s, North Africans such as Noureddine Morceli of Algeria and Hicham El Guerrouj of Morocco came to dominate the 1500 and mile events. In the 2020s, Western European athletes have returned to the forefront of the distance, with athletes such as Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway , Jake Wightman , and Josh Kerr (both British milers) winning global titles. Beyond the short distances of sprinting events, factors such as an athlete's reactions and top speed becomes less important, while qualities such as pace , tactics and endurance become more so. There are three common long-distance running events in track and field competitions: 3000 , 5000 , and 10,000 metres . The latter two races are both Olympic and World Championship events outdoors, while

4606-1110: The 3000 m is held at the IAAF World Indoor Championships . The 5000 m and 10,000 m events have their historical roots in the 3-mile and 6-mile races. The 3000 m was used as a women's long-distance event, entering the World Championship programme in 1983 and Olympic programme in 1984, but this was abandoned in favour of a women's 5000 m event in 1995. Marathons , while long-distance races, are typically run on street courses, and often are run separately from other track and field events. In terms of competition rules and physical demands, long-distance track races have much in common with middle-distance races, except that pacing, stamina , and tactics become much greater factors in performances. A number of athletes have achieved success in both middle- and long-distance events, including Saïd Aouita who set world records from 1500 m to 5000 m. The use of pace-setters in long-distance events

4700-505: The 74th minute of the match, with Grasshopper Club Zürich leading 2–1, a masked FC Zürich fan threw a lit flare into the Grasshopper Club Zürich fan section. This incited a violent reaction from the Grasshopper Club Zürich fans, several dozen of whom rushed towards the fence separating the two groups and attempted to fight back with flagpoles. The referee abandoned the match due to safety concerns. Six people were injured in

4794-490: The 800 m distance and it has its roots in competitions in the United Kingdom in the 1830s. The 1500 m came about as a result of running three laps of a 500 m track, which was commonplace in continental Europe in the 20th century. Middle distance events can begin in one of two ways: a staggered start or a waterfall start. In the 800 meter race, athletes begin in individual lanes that are staggered before

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4888-449: The Olympic programme in 1932 . This was extended to the 100 m hurdles at the 1972 Olympics, but it was not until 1984 that a women's 400 m hurdles event took place at the Olympics (having been introduced at the 1983 World Championships in Athletics the previous year). Other distances and heights of hurdles, such as the 200 metres hurdles and low hurdles , were once common but are now held infrequently. The 300 metres hurdles

4982-541: The United States (the Amateur Athletic Union in 1888) and France (the Union des sociétés françaises de sports athlétiques in 1889) put the sport on a formal footing and made international competitions possible. The revival of the Olympic Games at the end of the 19th century marked a new high for track and field. The Olympic athletics programme , comprising track and field events plus a marathon , contained many of

5076-411: The United States in the 1880s as a variation on charity races between firemen , who would hand a red pennant on to teammates every 300 yards. Two very common relay events are the 4×100 metres relay and the 4×400 metres relay . Both entered the Olympic programme at the 1912 Summer Games after a one-off men's medley relay featured in 1908 Olympics. The 4×100 m event is run strictly within

5170-507: The United States, athletics is the official term for this sport with 'track' and 'field' events being subgroups of athletics events. The foot racing events, which include sprints , middle- and long-distance events , racewalking , and hurdling , are won by the athlete who completes it in the least time. The jumping and throwing events are won by those who achieve the greatest distance or height. Regular jumping events include long jump , triple jump , high jump , and pole vault , while

5264-445: The United States, the term track and field may refer to other athletics events, such as cross country , the marathon , and road running , rather than strictly track-based events. The sport of track and field has prehistoric roots, being among the oldest of sporting competitions , as running, jumping and throwing are natural and universal human physical expressions. The first recorded examples of organized track and field events are

5358-426: The United States, where a number of large meetings (or relay carnivals ) are focused almost solely on relay events. Races with hurdles as obstacles were first popularised in the 19th century in England. The first known event, held in 1830, was a variation of the 100-yard dash that included heavy wooden barriers as obstacles. A competition between the Oxford and Cambridge Athletic Clubs in 1864 refined this, holding

5452-625: The added political element between competitors of the United States, East Germany , and the Soviet Union, during the Cold War , only served to stoke the sport's popularity. The rising commerciality of track and field was also met with developments in sports science , and there were transformations in coaching methods, athlete's diets, training facilities, and sports equipment. The use of performance-enhancing drugs also increased. State-sponsored doping in 1970s and 1980s East Germany , China ,

5546-405: The aim of perfecting their performances, although the aim of combined events athletes is to become proficient in a number of disciplines. Track events involve running on a track over specified distances, and—in the case of the hurdling and steeplechase events—surmounting obstacles. There are also relay races in which teams of athletes run and pass on a baton to their team members at the end of

5640-622: The field of participants. Track and field is one of the oldest sports. In ancient times, it was an event held in conjunction with festivals and sports meets such as the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece . In modern times, the two most prestigious international track and field competitions are the athletics competition at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships . World Athletics , formerly known as

5734-441: The first women's world championship competition was held at the 1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships . The first women's Olympic pole vaulting competition occurred in 2000. Track and field contains some of the foremost kinds of throwing sports , and the four major disciplines are the only pure throwing events to feature at the Olympic Games . The genesis of the shot put can be traced to pre-historic competitions with rocks: in

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5828-492: The foremost sporting competitions of the 1896 Summer Olympics . The Olympics also consolidated the use of metric measurements in international track and field events, both for race distances and for measuring jumps and throws. The Olympic athletics programme greatly expanded over the next decades, and track and field remained among its most prominent contests. The Olympics was the elite competition for track and field, only open to amateur sportsmen . Track and field continued to be

5922-492: The governing body for international track and field competitions, publishes very specific regulations for the conduct of Global Championship or International level track meets under their jurisdiction. Since the early 1980s, the manufacturer of the surfaces selected for most championship meets has been the Italian company, Mondo , again the trademarked brand name becoming used as a genericized trademark. Mondo's track surface

6016-537: The growth in Olympic-style multi-sport events (such as the Commonwealth Games and Pan-American Games ), competitions between international track and field athletes became widespread. From the 1960s onward, the sport gained exposure and commercial appeal through television coverage and the increasing wealth of nations. After over half a century of amateurism, in the late 1970s the amateur status of

6110-490: The growth of women's track and field in East Asia. More women's events were gradually introduced, though it was only towards the end of the century that the athletics programmes approached gender parity. Marking an increasingly inclusive approach to the sport, major track and field competitions for disabled athletes were first introduced at the 1960 Summer Paralympics . With the rise of numerous regional championships, and

6204-466: The importance of natural training and even-paced running. The 1990s saw the rise of North and East African runners in long-distance events. Kenyans and Ethiopians, in particular, have since remained dominant in these events. Relay races are the only track and field event in which a team of runners directly compete against other teams. Typically, a team is made up of four runners of the same sex. Each runner completes their specified distance (referred to as

6298-416: The inner lanes while members of slower teams must await the baton on outer lanes. In a shuttle hurdle relay , each of four hurdlers on a team runs the opposite direction from the preceding runner. No batons are used. The IAAF keeps world records for five different types of track relays. As with 4×100 m and 4×400 m events, all races comprise teams of four athletes running the same distances, with

6392-670: The less commonly contested distances being the 4×200 m , 4×800 m and 4×1500 m relays . Other events include the distance medley relay (comprising legs of 1200, 400, 800, and 1600 metres), which is frequently held in the United States, and a sprint relay, known as the Swedish medley relay , which is popular in Scandinavia and was held at the IAAF World Youth Championships in Athletics programme. Relay events have significant participation in

6486-465: The long jump, the triple jump takes place on a track heading towards a sandpit. Originally, athletes would hop on the same leg twice before jumping into the pit, but this was changed to the current "hop, step and jump" pattern from 1900 onwards. There is some dispute over whether the triple jump was contested in ancient Greece: while some historians claim that a contest of three jumps occurred at Ancient Games, others such as Stephen G. Miller believe this

6580-579: The marketplace is the formerly BASF -owned company Conica, based in Switzerland, now part of the Serafin Group (Munich, Germany), which can boast the 2009 World Championships in Athletics in Berlin , Germany (where Usain Bolt improved his 100 metres and 200 metres world records), along with other record hosting venues like Stadio Olimpico in Rome , Italy. The proper length of the first lane of

6674-519: The mid-20th century, but Dick Fosbury overturned tradition by pioneering a backwards and head-first technique in the late 1960s – the Fosbury Flop – which won him the gold at the 1968 Olympics . This technique has become the overwhelming standard for the sport from the 1980s onwards. The standing high jump was contested at the Olympics from 1900 to 1912, but is now relatively uncommon outside of its use as an exercise drill. In terms of sport,

6768-401: The most common throwing events are shot put , javelin , discus , and hammer . There are also "combined events" or "multi events", such as the pentathlon consisting of five events, heptathlon consisting of seven events, and decathlon consisting of ten events. In these, athletes participate in a combination of track and field events. Most track and field events are individual sports with

6862-461: The most notable examples of this being Franklin Field , where the 400 metre distance is achieved in lane 4. Olympic tracks in the early 20th century were of other lengths: each lane of the track could (by IAAF rules should) be as wide as 122 cm (4.00 ft), though the majority of American tracks are built to NFHS high school specifications that allow smaller lanes. The IAAF also specifies

6956-675: The oldest running race of the modern era. The school also lays claim to the oldest track and field meeting still extant, the Second Spring Meeting first documented in 1840. This featured a series of throwing and jumping events with mock horse races including the Derby Stakes, the Hurdle Race and the Trial Stakes. Runners were entered by "owners" and named as though they were horses. 13 miles (21 km) away and

7050-408: The pole and athletes began clearing the bar with their feet first and twisting so that the stomach faces the bar. Bamboo poles were introduced in the 20th century and a metal box in the runway for planting the pole became standard. Landing mattresses were introduced in the mid-20th century to protect the athletes who were clearing increasingly greater heights. The modern event sees athletes run down

7144-523: The product and selling it for this first use in the Olympics. An all-weather surface has become standard ever since. Another Tartan track was installed on a temporary basis for the 1968 United States Olympic Trials held at altitude at Echo Summit , California , before being moved to South Tahoe Middle School , where it survived for almost 40 years. There are other techniques that distribute small chunks of rubber then adhere them in place with various polyurethane or latex substances. World Athletics ,

7238-425: The quickest route to the finish. Physiologically, middle-distance events demand that athletes have good aerobic and anaerobic energy producing systems , and also that they have strong endurance . The 1500 m and mile run events have historically been some of the most prestigious track and field events. Swedish rivals Gunder Hägg and Arne Andersson broke each other's 1500 m and mile world records on

7332-460: The riot that ensued. The game had to be abandoned with approximately 15 minutes of regular time to go. Also dubbed the "Disgrace of Zürich" ( German : Skandal/Schande von Zürich ) by Swiss media, this incident represented a second major episode of hooligan violence in Switzerland within five years, after a hooligan incident of similar significance occurred in Basel in 2006. The stadium was one of

7426-594: The same lane on the running track throughout all sprinting events, with the sole exception of the indoor 400 m. Races up to 100 m are largely focused upon acceleration to an athlete's maximum speed. All sprints beyond this distance increasingly incorporate an element of endurance. Human physiology dictates that a runner's near-top speed cannot be maintained for more than thirty seconds or so because lactic acid builds up once leg muscles begin to suffer oxygen deprivation. Top speed can only be maintained for up to 20 metres. Japanese man Hidekichi Miyazaki

7520-440: The same lane on the track, meaning that the team collectively runs one complete circuit of the track. Teams in a 4×400 m event remain in their own lane until the runner of the second leg passes the first bend, at which point runners can leave their lanes and head towards the inmost part of the circuit. For the second and third baton changeovers, teammates must align themselves in respect of their team position – leading teams take

7614-627: The sport began to be displaced by professionalism . As a result, the Amateur Athletic Union was dissolved in the US and replaced with a non-amateur body focused on the sport of athletics: The Athletics Congress (later USA Track and Field ). The IAAF abandoned amateurism in 1982 and later rebranded itself as the International Association of Athletics Federations. While Western countries were limited to amateurs until

7708-402: The stadium to the other. Sprinting events are focused on athletes reaching and sustaining their quickest possible running speed. Three sprinting events are currently held at the Olympics and outdoor World Championships: the 100 , 200 , and 400 metres . These events have their roots in races of imperial measurements that later changed to metric: the 100 metres evolved from the 100-yard dash ,

7802-407: The supporting standards. The majority of jumping events are unaided, although athletes propel themselves vertically with purpose-built sticks in the pole vault . The throwing events involve hurling an implement (such as a heavyweight, javelin or discus) from a set point, with athletes being judged on the distance that the object is thrown. Combined events involve the same group of athletes contesting

7896-416: The turn. Runners must remain in their lanes for the first 100 m before cutting in to run as a pack. This rule was introduced to reduce jostling between runners in the early stages of the race. The 1500 meter and longer events typically use a waterfall start, where runners start the race from a standing position along a curved starting line and then immediately cut in towards the innermost track to follow

7990-649: The use of poles for vaulting distances was recorded in Fierljeppen contests in the Frisian area of Europe, and vaulting for height was seen at gymnastics competitions in Germany in the 1770s. One of the earliest recorded pole vault competitions was in Cumbria , England in 1843. The basic rules and technique of the event originated in the United States. The rules required that athletes do not move their hands along

8084-596: The venues for the UEFA Euro 2008 . Three games were played at the stadium during the tournament. The stadium will be one of the venues for the UEFA Women's Euro 2025 . Five games will be played at the stadium during the tournament. Track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running , jumping , and throwing skills. The name used in North America

8178-415: The winner being the one who jumped farthest. Small weights ( Halteres ) were held in each hand during the jump then swung back and dropped near the end to gain extra momentum and distance. The modern long jump, standardised in England and the United States around 1860, bears resemblance to the ancient event although no weights are used. Athletes sprint along a length of track that leads to a jumping board and

8272-504: Was FC Zürich vs. Grasshopper Club Zürich on September 23. It hosted three games during the 2008 European championships, with a capacity of up to 30,000. The current capacity is 25,000 for football events, 26,000 for athletics and 50,000 for concerts. On 2 October 2011, the Swiss Football League game between FC Zürich and Grasshopper Club Zürich held at the stadium saw a major incident of football hooliganism . During

8366-488: Was constructed for the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne , Australia. During the 1960s many of these tracks were constructed; examples still exist today. In the mid-1960s Tartan tracks were developed, surfaced with a product by 3M . The name Tartan is a trademark, but it is sometimes used as a genericized trademark . This process was the first to commercialize a polyurethane surface for running tracks, though it

8460-404: Was held on a track for the 1879 English championships and the 1900 Summer Olympics featured men's 2500 m and 4000 m steeplechase races. The event was held over various distances until the 1920 Summer Olympics marked the rise of the 3000 metres steeplechase as the standard event. The IAAF set the standards of the event in 1954, and the event is held on a 400 m circuit that includes

8554-512: Was originally conceived for horse racing. Many Tartan tracks were installed worldwide, including at many of the top universities in the United States. Among that list was a Tartan track installed in the Estadio Olímpico Universitario , home of the 1968 Summer Olympics at Mexico City , which were the first global championships to use such a track. Olympic shot put champion Bill Nieder was instrumental in developing

8648-487: Was the 1919 South American Championships , followed by the European Athletics Championships in 1934. Until the early 1920s, track and field was almost an exclusively male pursuit. Many colleges required women to participate in walking events. Walking was considered to be a primarily female sport. In the late 1800s it was still incredibly rare to find women in the gym, as this was considered

8742-438: Was the world's oldest competitive sprinter, sprinting the 100m race at 105 years old before his death in 2019. The 60 metres is a common indoor event and indoor world championship event. Less-common events include the 50 , 55 , 300 , and 500 metres , which are run in some high school and collegiate competitions in the United States. The 150 metres , though rarely competed, has a star-studded history: Pietro Mennea set

8836-418: Was transferred to the city of Zurich, which has operated the Letzigrund ever since. It underwent extensive remodeling in 1947, 1958, 1973, and 1984. Lighting was added in 1973. The first open-air concert there was held in 1996. The capacity of the stadium was 25,000 and the main pitch was 105 by 68 meters, with athletics facilities. There were also three other playing fields: two lawns, an artificial turf , and

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