Hammer Throw
The Hammer Throw event originally involved a type of sledge hammer but in the modern event a metal ball on a wire is used. In the men’s event it weighs 7.23kg and is 122 cm in length.
Yuriy Sedykh is the current men’s world record holder. He managed a throw of 86.74 metres at the Stuttgart games in 1986.
hammer yuriy sedykh
The current women’s world record holder is the Polish athlete Anita Wlodarczyk. She threw the Hammer a distance of 78.30 metres in 2010.
Shot Put
The Shot Put is a throwing event using a similar technique to the Discus but here the object thrown is a heavy round metal ball.
The athlete must begin their throw in under 60 seconds once they enter the throwing circle and they are not allowed to wear gloves. If their feet leave the circle at any point, the throw in not counted as a valid attempt.
The current men’s world record holder is Randy Barnes from the USA. His record throw was made in 1990 with 23.12 metres.
shotput-barnes
Natalya Lisovskaya from Russia holds the women’s record with a distance of 22.63 metres made in 1987.
Discus Throw
The Discus Throw is another Olympic throwing event, here the athletes throw a heavy disc. This event has been part of the Olympic games since the first Olympiad back in 1896.
The men’s discus weighs 2kg and has a diameter of 220mm, the womens discus is lighter at just 1kg with a 181mm diameter. Competitors in this event throw from a concrete circle, they spin around 1.5 times to produce momentum and then make their throw.
Strength is an important attribute for discus throwers but they also need a good technique. If the athlete’s feet go outside of the circle at any point during the throw, it does not count as a valid attempt.
discus jürgen schult
The current world record holder is the German Jürgen Schult with a distance of 74.08 metres. The womens record holder is also German, Gabriele Reinsch has a 76.80 metre record.
Javelin Throw
The Javelin is one of the most prestigious throwing events at the Olympic games. Also, it is based on one of man’s oldest activities - throwing a spear to hunt for food.
A modern day Javelin is around 2.5 metres long. Athletes are allowed a run-up and then must throw the Javelin as far as they can. The front point of the Javelin has to land first in order for the throw to be valid.
The current men’s world record holder is the Czech athlete Jan Zelezný with a distance of 98.48 metres.
javelin jan zelezný
The current women’s record holder is also from the Czech Republic, Barbora Špotáková has a record throw of 72.28 metres.
Pole Vault
The Pole Vault is a variation on the High Jump event. The aim is the same – to make the highest vertical jump over a horizontal bar, but the athlete uses a pole made of fiber glass or carbon fiber to assist them.
This is an event where technical skill is as important as physical fitness.
Sergey Bubka from the Ukraine is the current world record holder. He made a sucessful jump of 6.14 metres in 1994.
pole-vault-sergei-bubka
The women’s record is currently held by Elena Isinbaeva from Russia. She managed a jump of 5.06 metres in Zurich in 2009.
High Jump
The High Jump is a different kind of jumping event where the competitor must make the highest vertical jump possible over a horizontal bar. If this bar is knocked off during the jump it does not count as a valid jump.
There have been a number of different techniques for this event over the years including a straight run up and the scissors method. However, the most popular technique now is the Fosbury Flop, where the athlete uses an arc run up and goes over the bar backwards and head first.
Javier Sotomayor is the current men’s world record holder. He is from Cuba and managed a jump of 2.45 metres.
high jump-sotomayor_javier
The women’s record is held by the Bulgarian Stefka Kostadinova with a 2.09 metre jump.
Triple Jump
The triple jump is a similar event to the long jump but the distance includes a section of the run up. Specifically a hop, skip from one board and then a jump from a second board. As you can imagine, the world record here is much longer.
The triple jump is based on one of the original ancient Greek Olympic jumping events, the exact rules have changed somewhat over time though.
The current holder of the men’s world record is the British athlete Jonathan Edwards with a jump of 18.29 metres set in 1995.
triple jump-jonathan-edwards
The Ukranian Inessa Kravets holds the women’s record with a distance of 15.50 metres which was also set in 1995, a good year for triple jumpers.
Long Jump
The long jump has been an Olympic medal event since the first modern Olympic Games back in 1896. A competitor has to take a run-up and make a jump from a wooden board just 20 cm wide. If any part of the foot goes over the edge of the board the jump is not counted.
There are 4 main parts to a sucessful long jump: the approach run-up, the last two strides, take-off and movement in the air and the landing.
The current men’s world record holder is Mike Powell from the USA with a jump of 8.95 metres.
long jump-mike powell
The women’s world record is held by the Russian Galina Chistyakova with a distance on 7.52 metres.
Hurdles
The hurdles event is run over 3 distances – the 100 metres, the 110 metres and the 400 metres hurdles.
The current world records are:
100 metres hurdles (women) – Yordanka Donkova from Bulgaria with a time of 12.21 seconds.
110 metres hurdles (men) – Dayron Robles from Cuba posted a time of 12.87 seconds.
400 metres hurdles (men) – Kevin Young from the USA holds the record of 46.78 seconds.
hurdles
To compete well in the hurdles events you need the same skills as a sprinter, but you also require excellent timing and extra leg strength to negotiate the hurdles.
1500 metres
The 1500 metres event is 1 mile long, almost 4 laps of a standard athletics track and is a challenging race. Stamina is especialy important here but you also need good pacing and race strategy. Cardiovascular endurance and the ability to deal with the lactic acid produced by the body during prolonged exertion are necessary but can be developed with the proper training.
If you are considering making this your event, try running the distance a few times. If you are getting completing the race in under 5 minutes then the 1500 metres could be for you.
The current world record is set at 3 minutes and 26 seconds by Hicham El Guerrouj, an athlete from Morocco. He ran this time back on the 14th july 1998 at the Golden Gala in Rome, Italy.
1500 metres-Hicham-Guerrouj
800 Metres
The 800 metres event comprises of two full laps of a track. Here, athletes need to be strong and fast but pacing and strategy are paramount. Knowing at which point in the race to hold staedy and when to push it to the limit are the key to wining.
A popular traing method for this event is the anaerobic traing system. The method is to sprint for 60 to 90 seconds, take a break of 90 to 180 seconds, then sprint again. This teaches the body to be able to run at high speed even when there is not enough oxygen in the body to do so.
The current world record is set at 1 minute and 41.01 seconds by David Rudisha. An athlete from Kenya who made this time at the Rieti meeting on 29th August 2010.
800 metres-david-lekuta-rudisha
400 Metres
The 400 metres race is possibly the most demanding of all the athletic events. Runners need to have the strength and reflexes of a sprinter, combined with the stamina and technique of a long distance runner.
A fast start is again vital but a sprinting speed must be maintained for the full lap, perhaps with an extra push and faster arm action in the last 100 metres to race to the line. A time of under 60 seconds is generally considered to be respecatable for an amateur. If you can produce a time of under 1 minute without too much practise, this could be the event for you.
The current world record is held by the American Michael Johnson at 43.18 seconds. This record was set back in 1999 at the World Championships in Seville, Spain.
400 metres-m_johnson
200 Metres
The 200 metres is another prestigious sprinting race. The current world record is 19.19 seconds, also held by Eusain Bolt of Jamaica. He set this record at the World Championships in Germany just 4 days after setting a new 100 metres record.
200 metres track
Athletes competing in this event need similar abilities and physical attributes to 100 metre sprinters. Due to the slightly longer distance some stamina training is also required so that the maximum speed can be maintained over the extra 100 metres.
As the 100 and 200 metres are similar races, if you are good at one of these events you should also try your hand at the other. You may find that you are able to compete at a higher level in the other event.
100 Metres
This event is generally considered to be the flagship of athletics and is the most coveted world record in the sport. The current record was set on 16 August 2009 at the World Championships in Berlin, Germany and is held by the Jamaican Eusain Bolt at 9.58 seconds.
100 metres-usain-bolt
Athletes competing in the 100 metres use blocks to help them get off to a fast start. As the race is so short, a strong start is vital. Runners spend many hours training to hone their reactions to a starting pistol. You need to have very strong legs and a low body fat ratio to be a successful 100 metres sprinter.
Most competitors in this discipline are also tall, as this enables them to have a long stride. If you are below average height you may want to consider a different event to train in as it is unlikely you will be able to match the strides of opponents with a height advantage. No amount of training is going to makre you taller!
Latest Sri Lankan Athletics News
The Sri Lankan Olympic medalist Susanthika Jayasinghe has now formally announced her retirement from athletics. She is well known throughout the country for winning Sri Lanka’s first Olympic medal since 1948 in the women’s 200m at the 2000 games held in Sydney. Her victory has been an inspiration to many young up and coming athletes in Sri Lanka and her presence at major international sporting events will be missed.
The 33 year old woman is Sri Lanka’s most successful athlete ever, she is expecting her first child later this year. In her retirement from sport she hopes to dedicate some of her time to projects with an aim to develop young Sri Lankans into skilled sports men and women.
In an interview with a leading Sri Lankan paper, Jayasinghe said her main goal now is to become a mother – “It has been a long felt dream which would finally become a reality this year. I want to get that great feeling of becoming a mother, devote some time for my child and then look at how I am going to give something back to athletics.”