Discussing the Events in Athletics

The sport that we now call athletics has been practiced since the earliest human civilizations. Historians note that evidence of foot races can be found, that may date the sport back to the prehistoric era. We know for a fact that the Ancient Olympics included competitions in running, jumping and throwing, and the same can be said for most sports events throughout history.

Today, athletics remains a rather popular sport. While it can’t compete with the team sports (such as football, basketball, etc.), it still remains a major part of the Summer Olympics, and athletics athletes are some of the most popular and respected in the world.

Surprisingly, various athletics events are also hugely popular on betting sites like the ones betstation.com reviews. Especially popular, are the running events, like sprinting or marathon running. And of course, the most popular event in athletics, both to watch and bet on, is the athletic portion of the Summer Olympics.

But just what does athletics encapsulate? In this article, we are going to discuss a number of the events that make up the sport known as athletics.

Running

Perhaps the most notable aspect of athletics, running is exactly what it sounds like. Running is a sport that sees people compete against each other on an oval-shaped race track. Probably, the most popular running event is the sprint.

Sprints refer to a foot race, in which the competitors must run as fast as they can, over a relatively short distance (usually between 100m and 400m). Certainly, the most popular sprinter in the world, is the Jamaican runner, Usain Bolt, known for setting the record for the fastest running speed in the world, and for his success in the Summer Olympics Running events.

Jumping

Jumping events have also been a huge part of the sport, since its inception in the Ancient world. Long jump events refer to the distance that an athlete can make in a single leap. High jumps are of course measures of height, but the most fascinating addition to the jumping events, certainly, is the pole vaulting event.

Pole vaulting is an event in jumping, in which athletes use a long pole to propel themselves in the air, with the goal of leaping as high and as far as possible. It was only included in track and field events a couple of hundred years ago, and has quickly become one of the favorite events in the sport.

Throwing

Throwing events can be separated into four categories. Discus, shot put, javelin and hammer. In the discus event, athletes throw a disc-shaped object, as far as they can. Shot put is a small, heavy ball, and athletes must throw it further than their competition.

The javelin throw is perhaps the most notable, as it developed in human history from practical purposes. The first hunters used sharpened stones and sticks to catch their prey, and from that a sport discipline developed.

Other

Other events in the world of track and field include the infamous decathlon, which includes ten events, which must be done subsequently, in a given order. Race walking is a new addition to the track and field world, and it involves participants speed walking, over long-distances, with the goal of being the first to reach the finish line.