Athletics

Athletics.

Athletics is a word derived from the Greek word “althos” which means, “contest”. It consists of a collection of events that can be divided into running, throwing and jumping events. These sport events were the original Olympic sports that athletes participated in 776 BC.

            Track and Field has various events that are open to males and females. Although not allowed to participate in events of the opposite gender, the events available are generally the same with some discrepancies. Some of the differences for women are a lower height in the hurdles and steeplechase barriers and the weight of the objects for throwing events, such as shot, javelin and hammer.

            Events that are available if you wish to participate in Track and Field are divided track, road running, race walking and field throwing events. Track events include sprints, middle distance, long distance, hurdling and relays. If you have a strong endurance you can try road running or race walking, which are long distance events. If you are a strong athlete, you can participate in the shot put, hammer throw, javelin throw or the discus throws. If you are a strong leaper, the field jumping events consist of the high jump, long jump, high jump, pole vault and triple jump. If you are a multi talented person you can join composite events such as the pentathlon or heptathlon.

 

Track events.

            Sprints. 100 metres and 60 metres. 100 metres are the standard outdoor distance and 60 metres indoor. While 200 meter sprinters are almost as quick as their 100 metres counterparts, they must also be able to maintain high speeds over longer distances. They also have the added difficulty of running the first half of their race while going round a bend at high speed. The starts too are staggered and runners must stay in their lanes to the finish. 400 metres represent sprinting at the limit of a sprinter’s lactic anaerobic energy supply system. 4 x 100 metres relay and 4 x 400 metres relay involves the smooth passing of a baton safely within the changeover zone. Here the incoming runner must present the baton from the right of the incoming athlete, so the baton has to be changed sometime during the run. The 110 metres (men) and 100 metres (women) hurdles are sprint events, besides the difference in the length the hurdles for men are at 106.7cm and for women 84.0cm. The 400 metres hurdles are the same for men and women except the height of the hurdles. It is always safest to lead into the hurdle with your left leg; leading with the right can cause disqualification if you trail your inner leg around the barrier.

            Distance events. The 800 metres are run in lanes as far as the end of the first bend so the starts are staggered. The 1500 metres events, also known as the “metric mile” is three and a quarter laps of the track. Runners line up from a white line that curves across the lanes, but the runners can, at the start cut across to get on the inside as long as they do not hinder an opponent. The 5,000 and 10,000 metre races are competed by both men and women and are run on the sports track. The aerobic/anaerobic requirement for the 5,000 metres is in a ration of roughly 80:20. The 10,000 meters aerobic/anaerobic ratio requirement is approx. 85:15. Oxygen consumption during a 10,000 metre race is in the region of 180 litres. The marathon is held on roads although in the Olympics it starts and finishes in the stadium. In 1948 the distance run was 26 miles 385 yards so that the race could start on the Royal lawns of Windsor Castle and finish in front of the royal box at the stadium. The race has been run over the same distance ever since, 42.195km. The steeplechase is run over 3,000 metres and barrier heights are 91.4cm for men and 76.2cm for women. There are four barriers plus a water jump; these are 79m or 82m apart. The first barrier is not introduced until 200 metres have been run.

 

Field events.

            Jumping events. The high jump. Jumpers may use any technique they wish. Most use the “Fosbury Flop” This style was invented by Dick Fosbury an American  in 1967. During competition the bar is generally raised by 5cm, 3cm or 2cm increments. The long jump requires speed built up at the approach to the board. They may use markers alongside the track, not on it, to judge where they should start their run. The triple jump consists of a hop, a step and a jump made in that order. The specifics of the jump are dictated by the foot from which the hop took off, the step landing is made on the opposite foot and the jump landing with both feet. The pole vault. Modern poles are graded according to the load that will bend them, applied at a particular height. Thus a 14/150 pole will bend in response to a 150 lb (68kg) load being applied at 14ft. (4.3m). Poles are very personalised items and vaulters are permitted to use their own equipment in competitions. There are no restrictions on the size or weight of the pole. Certain rules that do apply are that Vaulters may not go above the grip taken by their upper hand after take-off, thus preventing any form of climbing the pole.

            Throwing events.  The shot put. The shot must be held in one hand at the shoulder and close to the chin. Weights for seniors are 7.26kg for men and 4.00kg for women. There are reductions in weight for junior, under 17, under 15, and under 13 for both men and girls. The Hammer is thrown from within the confines of a safety cage. There are different weights of hammer from 7.26kg for men and 4.00kg for women with corresponding reductions for younger participants as in the Shot put. The Discus, represented in all the ancient Greek classical poses is again of various sizes and weights, the full size discuss is 22cm in diameter and 2kg in weight for men and 18cm diameter and 1kg for women. Again there are reductions down the age range. The Javelin must be held at the grip, it must be thrown over the shoulder or upper part of the throwing arm, it must not be slung or hurled and at no time during the throw may competitors turn completely round so that their back is towards the throwing line.

 

Combined events.

            Modern combined events feature ten events in decathlon and seven events in heptathlon. These events are taken over two days points being awarded to competitors for their best performance in each event in the competition. The number of points they get is taken from a scale prepared by the international Amateur Athletic Federation, this is published in a booklet “Scoring Tables for Men’s and Women’s Combined Events Competition” This booklet is revised periodically. The Decathlon events are, first day, 100 metres, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400 metres. The second day, 110 metres hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500 metres. The Heptathlon events are, first day, 100 metres, hurdles, high jump, shot out and 200 metres. The second day, long jump, javelin and 800 metres.

 

Clothing.

            Simply Sports have an extensive range of athletic clothing by Asics, Odlo, Ron Hill, Gore, Saucony, Viga, New Balance and Adidas. Such as the range that we cannot display these items and would encourage you to visit any of our shops to better see what is available.

Footwear.

            Besides Simply Sports stocking a wide range of footwear from leading sports manufacturers such as Mizuno, Saucony, Hi-Tec, Adidas. Puma, Asics. Reebok, Brooks,  New Balance, Reebok, and Salomon. Simply Sports not only have special spiked shoes for both track and field we also have Motion Gait Analysis Equipment    

   (See below for a detailed explanation of this equipment and the benefits it brings)      at both Reigate and Oxted. This advanced equipment is designed to examine a runners gait and therefore enable us to recommend the most suitable footwear for the athlete. We do not offer footwear online, as we would prefer to make certain that our customers have the most suitable footwear available. Our staff are regularly trained in the different types of footwear and know which is more suitable than another style. We hold regular “Tech Days” at sports centres where members can receive proper guidance as to the correct footwear to have. Speciality footwear – Spikes come in various types depending on the sporting activity being undertaken and are highly specialised. For runners, ridges, grooves or other indentations are allowed on the sole and heel provided they are of the same basic material. Each shoe may also have up to 11 spikes. On synthetic surfaces these may not exceed 9mm, on non-synthetic surfaces up to 25mm is allowed. The maximum diameter of each spike is set at 4mm. These shoes fall into the following categories, Sprint, Endurance, High jump, Triple jump, Javelin and Shot.

 

Motion Gait Analysis.

            This equipment that we have installed in our Reigate and Oxted shops uses integrated video analysis to determine the correct size and type of running shoe. The equipment measures the exact size of each foot and the width. Determines where the arch is in respect to the sole of the foot and then is able to recommend various shoes that would be the most beneficial to the wearer, we know what you should have!

 

Equipment.

            Simply Sports maintain a range of sports equipment, These who’s shown on the web site are only available to visiting customers due to their weight and therefore expensive carriage costs. We have various discus, hammer, javelin, shot put, hurdles and starting blocks. If not in stock we can obtain them easily. The weights and sizes reflect various competitive demands including junior athletes.

 

Accessories

            The range of accessories is wide, from whistles to spikes and bags to inner soles. Some items are available online but the list is endless so a visit to Simply Sports in any of our three outlets should be rewarding! Our range of footwear is also very wide and comes from Adidas, Asics, Brooks, Hi-Tec, Saucony, New Balance, Mizuno, Inov8, Salomon and Puma

 

Sports Clubs.

            Finally if you are keen to take part in athletics do join a sports club where you can find all the facilities you require and expert tuition. A list of such sports clubs can be found at www.runtrackdir.com/ukclubs/ you can always ask us for help! Another web site www.ukathletics.net is a useful introduction to athletics in the UK.

 

 

 

 

 

Programme of Games of the XXIX Olympiad, Beijing 2008.

 

 

 

ATHLETICS

Track events

Men                             Women

100m                           100m

200m                           200m

400m                           400m

800m                           800m

1,500m                        1,500m

5,000m                        5,000m

10,000m                      10,000m

110m Hurdles               100m Hurdles

400m Hurdles               400m Hurdles

3,000m Steeplechase             3,000m Steeplechase

4 x 100m Relay             4 x 100m Relay

4 x 400m Relay             4 x 400m Relay

Field events

High Jump                    High Jump

Pole Vault                    Pole Vault

Long Jump                   Long Jump

Triple Jump                  Triple Jump

Shot Put                       Shot Put

Discus Throw               Discus Throw

Hammer Throw             Hammer Throw

Javelin Throw               Javelin Throw

Combined events

 Decathlon

(100m, Long Jump, Shot

Put, High Jump, 400m,

110m Hurdles, Discus, Pole

Vault, Javelin, 1,500m)

Heptathlon

(100m Hurdles, High Jump,

Shot Put, 200m, Long Jump,

Javelin, 800m)

Road events

20km Race Walk    20km Race Walk

50km Race Walk

Marathon                     Marathon

ROWING

Single Sculls (1x)      Single Sculls (1x)

Pairs (2-)                      Pairs (2-)

Double Sculls (2x)      Double Sculls (2x)

Fours (4-)

Quadruple Sculls (4x) Quadruple Sculls (4x)

Eights (8+)                   Eights (8+)

Lightweight events

Double Sculls (2x)      Double Sculls (2x)

Fours (4-)

BADMINTON

Singles             Singles             Mixed doubles

Doubles                        Doubles

BASEBALL

8-team tournament

BASKETBALL

12-team tournament       12-team tournament

BOXING

Light fly weight 48

Fly weight 51

Bantam weight 54

Feather weight 57

Light weight 60

Light Welter weight 64

Welter weight 69

Middle weight 75

Light heavy weight 81

Heavy weight 91

Super heavy weight +91

CANOE-KAYAK

Flatwater

K-1 500m                                K-1 500m

K-1 1,000m                             K-2 500m

K-2 500m                                K-4 500m

K-2 1,000m

K-4 1,000m

C-1 500m

C-1 1,000m

C-2 500m

C-2 1,000m

Slalom

K-1 kayak single                K-1 kayak single

C-1 canoe single

C-2 canoe double

CYCLING

Track

Sprint                                       Sprint

Individual pursuit             Individual pursuit

Points race                               Points race

Keirin

Team sprint

Team pursuit

Madison

Road

Mass start event                Mass start event

Time trial event                         Time trial event

Mountain Bike

Cross-country                          Cross-country

BMX Individual                           Individual

EQUESTRIAN

Jumping

Team Competition

Individual competition

Dressage

Team Competition

Individual Competition

Eventing

Team Competition

Individual Competition

FENCING

Foil, individual              Foil, individual

Epée, individual                         Epée, individual

Sabre, individual                      Sabre, individual

Epée, teams                              Foil, teams

Sabre, teams                            Sabre, teams

FOOTBALL

16-team tournament                   12-team tournament

GYMNASTICS

Artistic

Team competition                   Team competition

Individual competition        Individual competition

Floor                                        Vault

Pommel horse                           Uneven bars

Rings                                        Balance beam

Vault                                        Floor

Parallel bars

Horizontal bar

Rhythmic

Individual competition

Group competition

Trampoline

Individual event                         Individual event

WEIGHTLIFTING

56 kg                                       48 kg

62 kg                                       53 kg

69 kg                                       58 kg

77 kg                                       63 kg

85 kg                                       69 kg

94 kg                                       75 kg

105 kg                                     over 75 kg

over 105 kg

HANDBALL

12-team tournament                   12-team tournament

HOCKEY

12-team tournament                   12-team tournament

JUDO

up to 60 kg                               up to 48 kg

60 to 66 kg                              48 to 52 kg

66 to 73 kg                              52 to 57 kg

73 to 81 kg                              57 to 63 kg

81 to 90 kg                              63 to 70 kg

90 to 100 kg                            70 to 78 kg

over 100 kg                              over 78 kg

WRESTLING

Freestyle

up to 55 kg                               up to 48 kg

55 to 60 kg                              48 to 55 kg

60 to 66 kg                              55 to 63 kg

66 to 74 kg                              63 to 72 kg

74 to 84 kg

84 to 96 kg

96 to 120 kg

Greco-Roman

up to 55 kg

55 to 60 kg

60 to 66 kg

66 to 74 kg

74 to 84 kg

84 to 96 kg

96 to 120 kg

AQUATICS                                                   

Swimming

 50m freestyle                           50m freestyle

100m freestyle             100m freestyle

200m freestyle             200m freestyle

400m freestyle             400m freestyle

1,500m freestyle                        800m freestyle

100m backstroke                   100m backstroke

200m backstroke                   200m backstroke

100m breaststroke                 100m breaststroke

200m breaststroke                 200m breaststroke

100m butterfly             100m butterfly

200m butterfly             200m butterfly

200m individual medley             200m individual medley

400m individual medley             400m individual medley

4 x 100m freestyle relay             4 x 100m freestyle relay

4 x 200m freestyle relay             4 x 200m freestyle relay

4 x 100m medley relay             4 x 100m medley relay

Marathon 10km               Marathon 10km

Diving

Individual Springboard            Individual Springboard

Individual Platform                       Individual Platform

Synchronised Springboard            Synchronised Springboard

Synchronised Platform             Synchronised Platform

Synchronized                           Duet competition

swimming                                Team competition

Waterpolo

12-team tournament                   8-team tournament

MODERN

PENTATHLON

Individual competition             Individual competition

SOFTBALL

8-team tournament

TAEKWONDO

under 58 kg                              under 49 kg

under 68 kg                              under 57 kg

under 80 kg                              under 67 kg

over 80 kg                                over 67 kg

TENNIS

Singles                          Singles

Doubles                                    Doubles

TABLE TENNIS

Singles                          Singles

Team                                        Team

SHOOTING

Rifle

50m Rifle Prone

50m Rifle 3 Positions                       50m Rifle 3 Position

10m Air Rifle                            10m Air Rifle

Pistol

50m Pistol                                25m Pistol

25m Rapid Fire Pistol

10m Air Pistol             10m Air Pistol

Shotgun

Trap                                         Trap

Double Trap

Skeet                                       Skeet

ARCHERY

Individual competition             Individual competition

Team competition                   Team competition

TRIATHLON

Olympic distance

competition (1.5km swim,

40km cycle,10km run)

Olympic distance

competition (1.5km swim,

40km cycle,10km run)

SAILING

RS:X - Men's Windsurfer       RS:X - Women's Windsurfer            Tornado- Multihull

Laser - Men's One Person

Dinghy

Laser Radial - Women's

One Person Dinghy                                     49er - Skiff

470 - Men's Two Person

Dinghy

470 - Women's Two Person

Dinghy

Finn - Heavyweight

Dinghy

Star - Men's Keelboat                      Yngling - Women's Keelboat

VOLLEYBALL

Indoor

12-team tournament                   12-team tournament

Beach

24 pairs                                    24 pairs