100 metres hurdles

The 100 metres hurdles, or 100-meter hurdles, is a track and field event run mainly by women (the male counterpart is the 110 metres hurdles). For the race ten hurdles of a height of 83.8 centimetres (2.75 ft) are placed evenly spaced along a straight course of 100 metres (110 yd). They are positioned so that they will fall over if bumped into by the runner, but weighted so it is disadvantageous. Fallen hurdles don't count against runners so long as they don't run into them on purpose. Like the 100 metres sprint the 100 m hurdles begins with athletes in starting blocks.

History

For the 100 m hurdles the first hurdle is placed after a run-up of 13 metres from the starting line. The next 9 hurdles are set at a distance of 8.5 metres from each other, and the home stretch from the last hurdle to the finish line is 10.5 metres long.

The Olympic Games had included the 80 m hurdles in the program from 1932 to 1968. Starting with the 1972 Summer Olympics the women's race was lengthened to 100 m hurdles.