athletics: Quick Facts

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Facts

Also Known As	field event • track-and-field sports • track and field

Photos and Videos

Daley Thompson of Great Britain in mid-stride throwing a javelin during the decathlon at the 1980 Moscow Olympic Games, with a crowd watching in the stadium.

Infographic about the ancient Olympic Games featuring stylized illustrations of athletes competing in discus, long jump, javelin, equestrian events, running events, boxing, wrestling, and pankration. Each sport is labeled with a brief description, and a central text box explains the origins and evolution of the Games in Olympia, Greece.

Six male athletes leap over hurdles in mid-race during the 400 meter hurdles at the 1928 Amsterdam Olympic Games, with stadium spectators and flags in the background.

Wide view of the Gugl Indoor Arena in Linz, Austria, showing a red running track, field event areas, and spectators seated in stands under bright lights.

Paavo Nurmi crosses the finish line to win the 1500 meter final at the 1924 Paris Olympic Games, with officials and photographers observing in the background.

Eliud Kipchoge of Team Kenya, wearing a red and black uniform, crosses the finish line with one arm raised, winning the men's marathon at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Sally Pearson in mid-air clearing a hurdle during the Women's 100-meter hurdles final at the Australian Athletics Championships, wearing a blue uniform with her name visible.

See a comparative study of four Olympic hurling objects - the hammer, the javelin, the discus, and the shot put

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Topics

race walking pole vault weight throw hammer throw shot put long jump discus throw decathlon pentathlon high jump football extreme sports skating Baseball boxing golf American football football cricket Basketball

Key People

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Harrison Dillard

American athlete

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Mike Powell

American athlete

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Mary Decker

American athlete

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Ben Johnson

Canadian athlete

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Butch Reynolds

American athlete

Allyson Felix smiles and raises the relay baton as she crosses the finish line to win gold in the women's 4x400-meter relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Allyson Felix

American athlete

Neeraj Chopra of India smiles on the podium, holding up his gold medal and a bouquet after winning the men's javelin throw at the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympics.

Neeraj Chopra

Indian athlete

Noah Lyles

Noah Lyles

American sprinter

Su Bingtian

Su Bingtian

Chinese track-and-field athlete

Joan Benoit Samuelson

Joan Benoit Samuelson

American runner

Steve Prefontaine of the United States, wearing bib 1005, leads Lasse Viren of Finland, bib 228, and Emiel Puttemans of Belgium, bib 61, during the 1972 Olympic men's 5,000 meters race.

Steve Prefontaine

American athlete

Usain Bolt at the 2016 Olympics

Usain Bolt

Jamaican athlete

Milkha Singh

Milkha Singh

Indian athlete

Oscar Pistorius

Oscar Pistorius

South African athlete

“Queen of the Triple Jump”

Yulimar Rojas

Venezuelan athlete

2023 world champion

Sha’Carri Richardson

American athlete

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce smiles and holds the Jamaican flag behind her after winning the Women's 100 meter final at the World Athletics Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce

Jamaican sprinter

Valerie Adams

Valerie Adams

New Zealand athlete

Yelena Isinbayeva

Yelena Isinbayeva

Russian athlete

Mo Farah

British athlete

horse racing. thoroughbred racing. Jockeys in racing silks race horses on an oval grass race track.

Turn Up the Heat

Former U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program bobsledder Steven Holcomb, front, is greeted at the finish line after teaming with Justin Olsen, Steve Mesler and Curtis Tomasevicz to win the first Olympic bobsleigh gold medal in 62 years for Team USA ,(cont)

The Olympic Games

Assorted sports balls including a basketball, football, soccer ball, tennis ball, baseball and others.

American Sports Nicknames

Usain Bolt of Jamaica reacts after breaking the world record with a time of 19.30 to win the gold medal as Churandy Martina (left) of Netherlands Antilles and Brian Dzingai of Zimbabwe come in after him in the Men's 200m Final at the National Stadium during Day 12 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 20, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Summer Olympics, track and field, athletics)

I Am the Greatest (Athlete)