Field events and Multiple Event Competitions

Field events

Throwing Events

• Discus Throw
• Hammer Throw
• Javelin Throw
• Shot Put

Jumping Events

• High Jump
• Pole Vault
• Long Jump
• Triple Jump

The following events also take place, but are uncommon:

• Standing high jump
• Standing long jump
• Standing triple jump

Multiple Event Competitions

Multiple event competitions include events from both the track (running) and field events.

Pentathlon: the outdoor Pentathlon includes the following five events:

• Long Jump
• Javelin
• 200 meters
• Discus
• 1500 metres

The outdoor Pentathlon was a national championship event in the United States until 1978. It is still contested in many places throughout the world, but rarely as a championship event. The Pentathon was also contested in several of the early Olympic Games, noteably in the 1912 Olympics which was won by Jim Thorpe, who also won the Decathlon. The event was modeled after the original Greek Olympic Games, in which the Pentathlon was the foremost contest. It consisted of a Long Jump, Javelin, a statia run of approximately 180 meters, Discus, and Greco-Roman style wrestling.

Pentathlon: the indoor Pentathlon includes the following five events:

• High Hurdles (110 metres for men, 100 metres for women)
• Shot Put
• Long Jump
• High Jump
• Middle distance (1500 metres for men, 800 metres for women)

Heptathlon: the Heptathlon includes the following seven events:

Outdoors (usually only women):

• 100 metre high hurdles
• High Jump
• Shot Put
• 200 metres
• Long Jump
• Javelin Throw
• 800 metres

Indoors (usually only men):

• 60 metres
• Long Jump
• Shot Put
• High Jump
• 60 metres hurdles
• Pole Vault
• 1000 metres

Decathlon: the Decathlon includes the following ten events:

• 100 metres
• Long Jump
• Shot Put
• High Jump
• 400 metres
• 110 metre high hurdles
• Discus
• Pole Vault
• Javelin
• 1500 metres

Running and racewalking events

Running events conducted on a track (generally 400 metres, except indoors):

Sprints are events up to and including the 400 metres. Events commonly contested are

• 100 metres
• 200 metres
• 400 metres

Middle Distance Events are events longer than sprints and up to 3000 metres. Events commonly contested are:

• 800 metres
• 1000 metres
• 1500 metres
• One mile
• 3000 metres
• 3000 metres steeplechase

Long Distance Events are events over 3000 metres. Events commonly contested are:

• 5000 metres
• 10,000 metres

Hurdles events require the runner to run over evenly spaced barriers during the race. Events commonly contested are:

• 60 metres hurdles (indoors only)
• 100 metres hurdles (women)
• 110 metres hurdles (men)
• 400 metres hurdles

Relay races are events in which four athletes participate as a team, passing a metal baton in between. Events commonly contested are:

• 4 x 100 metres relay
• 4 x 400 metres relay

Some events, such as medley relays, are rarely run except at large relay carnivals. Typical medley relays include:

• Sprint Medley Relay (SMR): the four legs are 400 metres, two 200 metre legs, 800 metres; or alternately 200 metres, two 100 metre legs, 400 metres
• Distance Medley Relay (DMR): the four legs are 1200 metres, 400 metres, 800 metres, 1600 metres

Road Races are events conducted on open roads, sometimes finishing on a track. Events commonly contested are:

• 10 km
• 20 km
• Half marathon (21.0975 km)
• Marathon (42.195 km). The marathon is the only common road-racing distance run in major international athletics championships, such as the Olympics.

Racewalking may be contested on either the track or on open roads. Events commonly contested are:

• 10 km
• 20 km
• 50 km

Rules

Track events

The rules of track athletics or of track events in athletics as observed in most international athletics competitions are set by the Competition Rules of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). The most recent complete set of rules is the 2008 rules.

Key rules of track events are those regarding starting, running and finishing.

Starting

The start of a race is marked by a white line 5 cm wide. In all races that are not run in lanes the start line must be curved, so that all the athletes start the same distance from the finish.Starting blocks must be used for all races up to and including 400 m (including the first leg of the 4 x 200 m and 4 x 400 m) and may not be used for any other race. No part of the starting block may overlap the start line or extend into another lane. All races must be started by the report of the starter’s gun or approved starting apparatus fired upwards after he or she has ascertained that athletes are steady and in the correct starting position. An athlete may not touch either the start line or the ground in front of it with his hands or his feet when on his marks. At most international competitions the commands of the starter in his own language, in English or in French, shall, in races up to and including 400 m, be “On your marks” and “Set”. When all athletes are “set”, the gun must be fired, or an approved starting apparatus must be activated. However, if the starter is not satisfied that all is ready to proceed, the athletes may be called out of the blocks and the process started over.

False start: An athlete, after assuming a final set position, may not commence his starting motion until after receiving the report of the gun, or approved starting apparatus. If, in the judgment of the starter or recallers, he does so any earlier, it is considered a false start. It is deemed a false start if, in the judgment of the starter an athlete fails to comply with the commands “on your marks” or “set” as appropriate after a reasonable time; or an athlete after the command “on your marks” disturbs other athletes in the race through sound or otherwise. Any athlete making a false start must be warned.

Running the race

In all races run in lanes, each athlete must keep within his allocated lane from start to finish. This also applies to any portion of a race run in lanes. If an athlete leaves the track or steps on the line demarking the track, he should be disqualified. Also, any athlete who jostles or obstructs another athlete, in a way that impedes his progress, should be disqualified from that event. However, if an athlete is pushed or forced by another person to run outside his lane, and if no material advantage is gained, the athlete should not be disqualified.

The finish

The finish of a race is marked by a white line 5 cm wide. The athletes must be placed in the order in which any part of their bodies (i.e. torso, as distinguished from the head, neck, arms, legs, hands or feet) reaches the vertical plane of the nearer edge of the finish line^.

Ties between different athletes are resolved as follows: In determining whether there has been a tie in any round for a qualifying position for the next round based on time, a judge (called the chief photo finish judge) must consider the actual time recorded by the athletes to 1/1000th of a second. If the judge decides that there has been a tie, the tying athletes must be placed in the next round or, if that is not practicable, lots must be drawn to determine who must be placed in the next round. In the case of a tie for first place in any final, the referee decides whether it is practicable to arrange for the athletes so tying to compete again. If he decides it is not, the result will stand. Ties in other placings remain.

Usain Bolt

Bolt – 100, 200 . . . 400m?

Beijing, China – Note the date now – 2014: men’s 400m, Usain Bolt, 42.5.

No, not the ‘Lightening’ man’s own prediction – Bolt avoids talk of the 400 as much as possible – but as firm an answer to a journalist’s query as you’re ever likely to hear from an athletics coach.

Not just any coach, either, but Bert Cameron, the first World 400m champion from the World Championships in Helsinki back in 1983. Cameron is now Jamaica’snational 400m coach and a man who watches Bolt train virtually everyday.

How does he know the date? “He promised me,” says Cameron. “He will do it and he promised it’ll be six years from now.” And how fast will he go? “42.5,” says Cameron without the merest hesitation.

Five days ago, if anyone had made such a suggestion it would have been treated as a joke. But five days ago the world of men’s sprinting was on a different planet, one a whole lot closer to the normal orbit of track and field that most of us have come to understand.

In Beijing, Lightening Bolt has struck twice in five days to blow the men’s sprints into a whole different stratosphere. “It blew my mind and blew the world’s mind,” as Bolt himself said after becoming the first man since Carl Lewis in 1984 to win the Olympic sprint double and the first man ever to do so with two world records. Only in 1968, when Jim Hines won the 100 and Tommie Smith the 200, and 1996 when Donovan Bailey took the 100m and Michael Johnson, the 200, have both records gone at the same Olympics.

“I’ve written history pretty much,” as Bolt puts it with a characteristic shrug. Back home in Jamaica, he tells us, “everywhere is pretty much blocked off”. That’s what the Jamaican Prime Minister Bruce Golding told him, anyway.

Melaine Walker

Walker: Learning to love the hurdles

Beijing – The subtitle of Melaine Walker’s life story should be, ‘How I Stopped Worrying, And Learned To Love The 400 Metres Hurdles’. Because, on the frank admission of the new quarter hurdles Olympic champion, “I hated the event, I absolutely hated it. I never wanted to do it, but I was good at it.”

“I really wanted to sprint,” Walker admitted. “I was so excited by the sprint. Even Veronica (Campbell) couldn’t beat me. But my coach persuaded me. He said, please try the 400 hurdles, and you can go on and do the four by one (relay) afterwards. So, really, I only did it to be able to run the sprint relay.”

It was as a sprinter that she made her early mark, finishing fifth in the 200 metres final at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Annecy at the age of 15. She won silver at the same event at the IAAF World Youth Championships the next year.

But after a surprise victory over colleague, Deon Hemmings, Jamaica’s first female Olympic champion (400H, 1996), in Barbados, she was ‘persuaded’ to run the 400H in the next ‘World Juniors’ in Santiago de Chile in 2000, where she finished fifth. Yet by the time of the next world juniors, at home in Kingston, she showed her versatility by finishing fifth in the high hurdles.

The last of six children, she was born in Kingston, Jamaica on New Year’ Day, 1983, to Joseph Walker and Jennifer Wilson. “My mom said she did some running, but I don’t think it was too much. I guess I always loved running, I probably started when I was about three or four. I wasn’t good at it at first, but I just felt, ‘you should do this’.

“I was best in my kindergarten, best in High School, then best in the NC’s (US National Collegiate Championships).” Walker, now 25, is probably one of the last generation of Jamaicans, who went to college in the USA, in her case, to the University of Texas in Austin.

But she says the only thing that kept her there was the camaraderie of the track team. “After Texas, I didn’t know what to do without track. I wanted to be around my family, so I decided to go back home.” She is now part of the group trained by Stephen Francis, ie Asafa Powell, and new Olympic sprint champion, Shelly-Ann Fraser.

The turning point came after Osaka where, injured, she went out in the semi-finals. “That was a disappointment, I was hurt, but didn’t want to tell anyone. I didn’t want to feel like a punk.”

“I still hated it (400H), and asked myself, ‘why am I doing this? But then I thought, some athletes would pray to run like me, so this year I decided to do it properly. I had to love it, because I did it so well. And I started reading about the star athletes before me. And a few days before the Trials, someone asked if I could repeat what Deon Hemmings did.”

She could. And she did!

Olga Kaniskina

Kaniskina builds on Osaka success and walks to Olympic record

Olga Kaniskina: world 20km walk champion last year, Olympic champion this year

• The head of the Mordovian government Nikolay Merkushkin may wish he had never thought of the idea of rewarding Olga Kaniskina after her IAAF World Championships win in Osaka. On that occasion she was given the keys to a two-room apartment in her home town of Saransk, capital of Mordovia, so what can she expect this time round?

What prize?

Before she came out to Beijing, Kaniskina asked the president what an Olympic victory was worth, but he was clearly expecting her to do well because this time he was not ready to commit himself: “I haven’t thought about it yet,” was the answer.

Had she heard from him after her victory on a rainy morning in Beijing? “No, but I’ll learn what he is going to give me when I get back home,” she said.

One call she did get was from her brother who is a kind of talisman to the 23-year-old. He sent her a good luck message before her win in Osaka and this morning when she woke up, a new message was waiting: “He wished me good luck,” she said. “But the good-luck charm does not always work,” she explained. “Sometimes he’s abrasive, but he is special to me and it’s important for me to hear from him.”

Apart from that all the family – “I’ve got an extensive one” – were watching on television back home.

Day 7 Preview

Beijing 2008 – Day 7 PREVIEW

Beijing – The day starts at 9:00 a.m. with the women’s 20-kilometer walk. Russian women dominate the year’s performances, led by Olga Kaniskina, the 2007 World champion and the only woman to break 1 hour 26 minutes this year.  In fact, her 1:25:11 makes her more than a minute faster than anyone else in the field.

The next two fastest are also Russians, Tatyana Sibileva (1:26:16), and Tatyana Kalmylkova (1:26:34) – and they have a two-minute edge on the rest.  Others to watch are Athens medalists Athanasia Tsoumeleka of Greece (gold) and Jane Saville of Australia (bronze), and 2007 World championships bronze medalist Maria Vasco of Spain. The morning session will also feature qualifications in the men’s Javelin Throw and the women’s High Jump.

There are five finals in the evening program, three of them speed-oriented races on the track.

Wariner v. Merritt…

In the men’s 400m final, if ever there was a two-man race for the gold medal, this is it. Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt of the United States are nearly half a second ahead of the field. Wariner, the 2004 Olympic champion, was expected to repeat here until Merritt beat him in the U.S. Olympic Trials. They’ve split their four meetings this season. Wariner is still a slight favorite because he has a faster PB (43.45 to Merritt’s 43.96), but the Texan will have to run a perfectly judged race to take the gold medal. Behind them – and a long way behind – Bahamian Chris Brown and Britain’s Martyn Rooney have looked good in the rounds, and you can never ignore fast-finishing Leslie Djhone of France.

On the surface, the men’s 110m Hurdles final also shapes up as a two-man contest for the gold medal, this one between world record holder Dayron Robles of Cuba and David Oliver of the United States. But against Oliver’s single sub-13 performance this year (12.95), Robles is consistently under 13 seconds; in fact, in his four fastest races in 2008, Robles has averaged an astounding 12.91! Third looks like a battle among 2005 World champion Ladji Doucoure of France and David Payne of the U.S., third at the 2007 Worlds.

… and Felix v. Campbell-Brown

The women’s 200m final looks very similar to the women’s 100 final, with three Jamaicans and three Americans expected to capture all three medals between them. Pre-Games favourite Allyson Felix leads the U.S. contingent, backed up by Muna Lee and Marshevet Hooker; defending Olympic champion Veronica Campbell-Brown of Jamaica is backed up by Beijing 100-metre medallists Sherone Simpson and Kerron Stewart, who have run very well in the 200 rounds here. Campell-Brown is very motivated, not only as defending champion, but also because she was relegated to fourth in the 100 at the Jamaican trials.  Both Campbell-Brown and Felix looked sharp winning their respective semi-finals Wednesday evening.

On the infield, men’s Triple Jump and women’s Javelin

In the field, the men’s triple jump looks as if it will be the same wide-open, exciting shootout as usual. Britain’s Phillips Idowu has the year’s two best jumps at 17.58m and 17.55m, but his PB of 17.68m is inferior to the 17.81m of Romania’s Marian Oprea, who took silver at Athens in 2004 and Nelson Evora (POR, 17.74m) and Jadel Gregorio (BRA, 17.90), who finished 1-2 at the 2007 Worlds. It’s easy to spot Idowu, whose hair has been dyed bright red for the season – it’s a lucky color in China – and he’s certainly worth watching. Expect plenty of lead changes and a nail-biting final round.

The women’s javelin field is a treat, too — with three of the four longest performers in history, and all of them throwing well this year.  They’re good competitors, too; World record holder Osleidys Menendez (CUB) used the two longest throws in history to win the 2005 World Championships (71.70m) and 2004 Olympics (71.53m);  Czech Barbara Spotakova (PB 69.15m) won the 2007 World championships, and Germany’s Christina Obergfoll was the World championships silver medalist in both 2005 and 2007. Two others to keep an eye on are Russia’s 22-year-old comer Maria Abakumova (PB, 67.25m) and the ageless German thrower Steffi Nerius, now 36, the silver medalist at Athens in 2004 and bronze medalist in both the 2005 and 2007 Worlds.

Decathlon gets underway

The men’s Decathlon begins today, and it should be very competitive. All three medal winners from Athens are here: gold medalist Roman Sebrle (CZE), Brian Clay (USA), and Dmitri Karpov (KAZ).  Sebrle and Karpov were also 1-3 last year in Osaka, and Maurice Smith (CAN), second in Osaka, is also entered. To these four 8600-plus studs you can add a healthy Tom Pappas (USA), young (age 22) Andrei Krauchanka (BLR), even younger (age 20) Leonel Suarez of Cuba and three fast-improving 24-year-olds, Russians Aleksey Drozdov and Alexey Sysoev and American Trey Hardee.  Certainly the most impressive field ever in the Olympic 10-eventer, and maybe the most impressive ever, period.

The men’s and women’s 4×100 heats will also be run his evening. In fact, they will be semi-finals, with eight men’s and eight women’s teams qualifying for the finals on Friday evening.  Semi-finals will also be held in the men’s 800m and the women’s 1500.

James Dunaway for the IAAF

Tegla Loroupe

Mizuno Brand Ambassador Tegla Loroupe Honored as Runner’s World “Hero” of 2007

The December issue of Runner’s World ran a special feature, recognizing 34 people who have used their running status to impact the lives of others. Mizuno Brand Ambassador Tegla Loroupe was featured as one of the Runner’s World “Heroes” for 2007.

Referred to as “The Peacemaker,” Loroupe has used her notoriety from winning the 1994 New York Marathon to promote peace in her native country of Kenya. In 2004, the Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation was formed to promote conflict resolution between warring communities. Peace was promoted through education, poverty reduction, and sports programs, including “Peace Runs”. The Peace Runs have been a huge success in Kenya, attracting athletes, politicians, diplomats, and warriors who turned in weapons for entry in the Peace Runs. Loroupe is currently developing a boarding school and training facility, Peace Academy, for orphans displaced by violence and AIDS.
“Congratulations Tegla!”

There is a great picture of Loroupe stretching in the Runner’s World feature story. She is wearing Mizuno apparel and Mizuno Wave shoes in the picture. In addition to the magazine, there is also a feature of the story on Runner’s World’s official website, www.runnersworld.com. Runner’s World is one of the most popular running magazines in the world, with a circulation over 630,000.

Running Times

Running Times Online Reviews Four Mizuno Wave Running Shoes

Running Times magazine recently published their 2008 Spring Road Shoe Buyer’s Guide in their March issue. The article closed by encouraging readers to browse through more shoe reviews on Running Times Official Website, www.runningtimes.com. They even listed some of the other shoes that would be reviewed online, and four Mizuno Wave shoes were listed! The Mizuno Wave Creation 9, Wave Nirvana 4, Wave Inspire 4, and Wave Nexus 2 were all reviewed online. The reviews are done by Brian Metzler, the same well known shoe critic that reviewed the Mizuno Wave Elixir 3 and the Wave Ronin in the print edition of Running Times magazine. Each online review features captivating images of Mizuno Wave shoes, along with pricing info, and available sizes.

Here are some of the highlights from Running Times Online on the Mizuno Wave Creation 9: “The midsole’s mostly plastic heel was loved by runners who could feel it compress and rebound.”

Here are some of the highlights from Running Times Online on the Mizuno Wave Nirvana 4: “The Nirvana evidences a rare case of a one-piece tongue that was enjoyed by all.”

“As anticipated after examination of the componentry, the forefoot was soft and the heel firm-but both were well-tuned for their task.”

“The Nirvana’s ride was highly regarded.”

Here are some of the highlights from Running Times Online on the Mizuno Wave Inspire 4: “The Inspire’s fit was well-liked. Comfortably snug in the heel, conforming in the midfoot and accommodating in the forefoot-all without straying far from average.”

“The Inspire’s plastic medial posting assists this shoe in producing a stable ride despite the shoe’s overall light weight.”

Here are some of the highlights from Running Times Online on the Mizuno Wave Nexus 2: “The Nexus’ fit was deemed excellent by 100% of our testers.”

“The cushioning and ride were rated good.”

Mizuno Wave Shoe

Three Mizuno Wave Shoes Reviewed in Runner’s World Spring Shoe Guide

The Mizuno Wave Rider 11 was honored with the Spring Shoe Guide “Best Buy” Award in the March issue of Runner’s World magazine. This is the 25th award that Mizuno running shoes have received from Runner’s World since 1999! The magazine utilized the opinions of 350 wear-testers, as well as laboratory testing on the shoes to determine the award winners.

Here is what Runner’s World had to say about the Wave Rider 11: “The Rider has the same new heel design we saw in the Inspire 4. A stretchy panel in the rearfoot makes the upper less likely to lose its shape at footstrike, which improves the shoe’s heel fit. Deep forefoot flex grooves make this the second most flexible shoe in the guide, and a new sockliner that’s dimpled under the heel and forefoot yields a softer feel underfoot. Recommended for runners with high arches seeking a lightweight and flexible shoe.”

Here is what the Wear-Testers said about the Wave Rider 11: “This is a superb shoe for long runs.” – Lauren Garges, 33, Allentown

“Great overall fit; the upper part of the shoe was really comfortable around the ankle.” – Lance Blaskowski, 25, San Diego

The Mizuno Wave Inspire 4 and Mizuno Wave Nirvana 4 are also receiving fantastic reviews as part of the Spring Shoe Guide.

Here is what Runner’s World had to say about the Wave Inspire 4:”The latest Inspire uses a new upper design to better wrap the heel. Mizuno added a strip of stretchy fabric to the upper in front of the heel counter, which helps isolate the ankle’s outward motion and provides a more snug fit. Recommended for runners with normal to low arches willing to try a new way to combat heel slippage.”

Here is what Runner’s World had to say about the Wave Nirvana 4: “As with the Inspire, the updated Nirvana is designed to have a better heel fit. Unlike its sibling, however, this shoe’s heel panels are completely independent. This makes the panels less susceptible to bulging outward, which gives the 4 more stability and a better fit. Lab tests showed the Nirvana 4 to be slightly firmer than the 3, so we recommend it for runners with lower arches looking for a durable trainer with a great fit.”