By Mike Rosenbaum, About.com Guide
Olympic Track and Field
By Mike Rosenbaum, About.com Guide to Track & Field
Track and field events form the heart of the world's largest athletic spectacle. The quadrennial Summer Olympic Games include five sprint or relay races, five distance running events, two hurdles races, two men's race walking events (just one for women), two horizontal jumping events, two vertical jumps and four throwing events plus the 3000-meter steeplechase, the men's decathlon and women's heptathlon.
Olympic Track and Field Basics
Each Olympic track and field event has its own qualification standards as well as its own rules and equipment. The following links provide an overview of each Summer Olympic track and field event.
- Your Road to the U.S. Olympic Team
- What are Olympic Sprints and Relays?
- What are Olympic Hurdles?
- What is Olympic Distance Running?
- What is Olympic Race Walking?
- What is Olympic Steeplechase?
- What is Olympic Decathlon?
- What is Olympic Heptathlon?
- What is Olympic High Jump?
- What is Olympic Pole Vault?
- What is Olympic Long Jump?
- What is Olympic Triple Jump?
- What is Olympic Discus?
- What is Olympic Shot Put?
- What is Olympic Javelin?
- What is the Olympic Hammer Throw?
Olympic Track and Field History
Some Olympic track and field events date to at least the 8th Century B.C., when they were part of the ancient Greek games, while other events are modern inventions. Whether old or young, each event has featured memorable moments in Olympic history.