Portal:Sport of athletics
Introduction
Athletics is a group of sporting events that involves competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking. The most common types of athletics competitions are track and field, road running, cross-country running, and racewalking.
The results of racing events are decided by finishing position (or time, where measured), while the jumps and throws are won by the athlete that achieves the highest or furthest measurement from a series of attempts. The simplicity of the competitions, and the lack of a need for expensive equipment, makes athletics one of the most common types of sports in the world. Athletics is mostly an individual sport, with the exception of relay races and competitions which combine athletes' performances for a team score, such as cross country.
Organized athletics are traced back to the Ancient Olympic Games from 776 BC. The rules and format of the modern events in athletics were defined in Western Europe and North America in the 19th and early 20th century, and were then spread to other parts of the world. Most modern top level meetings are held under the auspices of World Athletics, the global governing body for the sport of athletics, or its member continental and national federations. (Full article...)
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Selected article
Tartan Track is a trademarked all-weather synthetic track surfacing made of polyurethane used for track and field competitions, manufactured by 3M. The original production was in 1967, and the product was later reformulated to eliminate the use of mercury. Relative to some[weasel words] other surfaces, it lets athletes compete in bad weather without serious performance loss and improves their results over other surfaces. It also provides a more consistent surface for competition even under optimum weather. Similar tracks have become the standard for most elite competitions.
Because the "Tartan" product was widely successful in its time, the name Tartan has been used as a genericized trademark for description of an all-weather running track.[original research?]
Athletic Polymer Systems, a subsidiary of MCP Industries, Inc., manages the installation of Tartan-branded running track.
A competing product is AstroTurf, originally made by Monsanto in 1965 and originally called ChemGrass. Like the Tartan product, the "AstroTurf" brand name has become genericized. The Tartan branded product has also had various other competitors. (Full article...)
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Athlete birthdays
13 September:
- Christine Arron, French sprinter
- Marjorie Jackson, Australian sprinter
- Michael Johnson, American sprinter
- Morris Kirksey, American sprinter
- LeRoy Samse, American pole vaulter
- Johanna Schaller, German hurdler
14 September:
- Josh Culbreath, American hurdler
- Hicham El Guerrouj, Moroccan middle- and long-distance runner
- Archie Hahn, American sprinter
- Vladimir Sasimovich, Belarusian javelin thrower
- Robert Taylor, American sprinter
15 September:
- Giuseppe D'Urso, Italian middle-distance runner
- Tim Mack, American pole vaulter
- Pat O'Callaghan, Irish hammer thrower
- Chris Tomlinson, British long jumper
16 September:
- Keith Connor, British triple jumper
- Ugo Frigerio, Italian race walker
- Jadel Gregório, Brazilian triple jumper
- Ilona Gusenbauer, Austrian high jumper
- Jutta Heine, German sprinter
- Maryam Yusuf Jamal, Ethiopian-Bahraini middle-distance runner
- Karsten Kobs, German hammer thrower
- Werner Lueg, German middle-distance runner
- Vebjørn Rodal, Norwegian middle-distance runner
- Mike Smith, Canadian decathlete
- Kevin Young, American hurdler
17 September:
- Olga Chernyavskaya, Russian discus thrower
- Satymkul Dzhumanazarov, Soviet distance runner
- Jason Gardener, British sprinter
- Oana Pantelimon, Romanian high jumper
- Shericka Williams, Jamaican sprinter
18 September:
- Nezha Bidouane, Moroccan hurdler
- Olena Hovorova, Ukrainian triple jumper
- Mohamed Kedir, Ethiopian distance runner
- Renaud Lavillenie, French pole vaulter
- Billy Sherring, Canadian distance runner
19 September:
- Marianne Adam, German shot putter
- Tasha Danvers, British hurdler
- Aki Järvinen, Finnish decathlete and hurdler
- Al Oerter, American discus thrower
- Sally Pearson, Australian hurdler
- José Pedraza, Mexican race walker
- Shannon Rowbury, American middle-distance runner
- Mike Shine, American hurdler
- Nadezhda Tkachenko, Soviet pentathlete
- Andy Turner, British hurdler
- Emil Zátopek, Czechoslovakian distance runner
- Dana Zátopková, Czechoslovakian javelin thrower
Related portals
More did you know
- ... that the 2000 Summer Olympics gold medalist in the heptathlon was Denise Lewis?
- ... that as part of a publicity stunt, the 1927 Texas Relays held an 89 mile (143 km) running race from San Antonio to Austin?
- ... that Czech decathlete Roman Šebrle, world record holder and 2004 Olympic winner, was injured in January 2007 when a javelin which had been thrown 55 metres pierced his shoulder?
- ... that at the 2001 World Championships in Athletics, Yipsi Moreno became world champion in the hammer throw at the age of twenty, improving from an eighteenth place finish in 1999?
Archive |
Selected biography
Sally Pearson, OAM (née McLellan; born 19 September 1986) is a retired Australian athlete who competed in the 100 metre hurdles. She is the 2011 and 2017 World champion and 2012 Olympic champion in the 100 metres hurdles. She also won a silver medal in the 100 m hurdles at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2013 World Championships. (Full article...)
Sally Pearson was born in Sydney and moved to Birdsville, Queensland when she was eight years old, before eventually settling on the Gold Coast. It was there, while she was still in primary school, that her athletic talents were noticed by Sharon Hannan, who coached her until 2013.[1] Pearson rose to prominence in 2001, when at the age of only 14, she won the Australian Youth 100 m and 90 m hurdles titles.[2] After injury setbacks during 2002 she made her international debut at the 2003 World Youth Championships in Sherbrooke, Canada and won gold in the 100 m hurdles. The following month, still only 16 years old, she represented Australia at open level at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, France as part of the 4 × 100 m relay team. In 2004, she won a bronze in the 100 m at the World Junior Championships, and just missed out on a medal in the 100 m hurdles.[3]
At the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne, Pearson tripped over a hurdle and fell to the ground during the 100 m hurdles final, costing her the chance of a medal. In 2007, she continued to pursue both the 100 m and the 100 m hurdles, making the semi-final of each event at the World Championships in Osaka, Japan. However, in the lead up to the 2008 Olympic Games, she shifted her focus solely to the 100 m hurdles. This decision paid off, with Pearson claiming the silver medal in a dramatic final, where the favourite Lolo Jones stumbled and a photo finish was required to decide the minor medals. After the announcement of the official results a jubilant Pearson celebrated enthusiastically with bronze medal winner Priscilla Lopes-Schliep, and gave an emotional trackside interview.[4]
Pearson was in good form during the 2009 European season, winning five out of seven races and breaking the Australian and Oceanian record in the 100 m hurdles at the Herculis meeting in July, with a time of 12.50 seconds; 0.03 faster than the area record she had set on the same track a year earlier.[5] However, she was hampered by back spasms in the lead up to the World Championships in Berlin, and was only able to finish fifth in the 100 m hurdles final.[6]
More selected biographies |
Did you know (auto-generated) -
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- ... that the championship record was broken three times in the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2024 World Athletics Relays?
- ... that in the 1932 baseball game in which pitcher Eddie Rommel won his last game, he pitched 17 innings in relief, an American League record?
- ... that the men's 100 metres event at the 2023 British Athletics Championships was run in heavy rain?
- ... that at the 2022 British Indoor Athletics Championships, Lorraine Ugen equalled the championship long jump record?
- ... that the women's race at today's New York City Marathon will feature two of the medalists from this year's Olympic marathon?
- ... that at the 2022 British Athletics Championships, Daryll Neita became the first woman since 2010 to win both the 100- and 200-metre events?
World records
Topics
Athletics events
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Athletics competitions
It's from the first edition (1896 Summer Olympics), that Athletics has been considered the "Queen" of the Olympics. Since then there have been a series of competitions organized at world level, than at the continental level. Furthermore, the Athletics is the main sport of nearly all multi-sport events such as Universiade, Mediterranean Games or Pan American Games. The following list refers to the main Athletics competitions that take place in the world.
Event | 1st edition | Kind of competition | Can participate |
---|---|---|---|
Olympic Games | 1896 | World games | Worldwide |
World Championships | 1983 | World championships | |
World Indoor Championships | 1985 | ||
European Championships | 1934 | Continental championships | Europe |
European Indoor Championships | 1966 | ||
South American Championships | 1919 | South America | |
Asian Championships | 1973 | Asia | |
African Championships | 1979 | Africa | |
Ocenian Championships | 1990 | Oceania |
Federations
- Internationals
- International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
- European Athletics Association (EAA)
- Confederation of African Athletics (CAA)
- Asian Athletics Association (AAA)
- North American, Central American and Caribbean Athletic Association
- CONSUDATLE
- Oceania Athletics Association (OAA)
- Nationals
- Australia: Athletics Australia (AA)
- Brazil: Brazilian Athletics Confederation (CBAt)
- Canada: Athletics Canada (AC)
- Czech: Czech Athletics Federation (ČAS)
- France: Fédération française d'athlétisme (FFA)
- Germany: German Athletics Association (DLV)
- Italy: Italian Athletics Federation (FIDAL)
- Jamaica: Jamaica Athletics Administrative Association (JAAA)
- Japan: Japan Association of Athletics Federations (JAAF)
- Kenya: Athletics Kenya (AK)
- China: Chinese Athletic Association
- Norway: Norwegian Athletics Association
- Romania: Romanian Athletics Federation
- Spain: Royal Spanish Athletics Federation (RFEA)
- Great Britain: UK Athletics (UKA)
- United States: USA Track & Field (USATF)
- Others
- Wales: Welsh Athletics (WA)
- England: Amateur Athletic Association of England (AAA)
- Scotland: Scottishathletics
- Athletic Association of Small States of Europe (AASSE)
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Sources
- ^ Gullan, Scott (20 August 2008). "Silver Sally ran her own race". The Australian. Retrieved on 7 September 2009.
- ^ [1], Athletics Australia, 2002, Retrieved on 18 October 2015
- ^ "Olympic champion Sally Pearson clocks 12.75 in time trial return". 22 May 2016.
- ^ Sally Pearson 100m hurdle post interview, 25 August 2008, retrieved 2023-04-16
- ^ Turner, Chris (28 July 2009). "Hurdlers delight on a spectacular evening in Monaco – Area record for McLellan". IAAF. Retrieved on 31 July 2009.
- ^ Gullan, Scott (20 August 2009). "Sally Pearson fifth in women's 100m hurdles in Berlin". The Australian. Retrieved on 7 September 2009.