Lesson 1

Athletics
 History
• Athletics is composed of sports involving running, walking, jumping, and
throwing.
• It is a group of sports divided mainly into what is popularly known as track
and field and it has been played centuries ago in a sports competition.
• In 776 B.C, Greeks started to promote track and field and it opened the
Olympic Games.
• Since then, it has been staged every four years until 394 A.D. Athens
revived the Olympic Games in 1896. After that, the Olympic Games is stage
every four years.
• Olympic Games became very competitive and in 1923 women were
included in the event.
 Events in Athletics

01
Running 02 Jumping 03Throwin
Event Event g Event

04Combined Event
Running Events

• Running events are played in an oval. It has eight lanes and the inner
A. Swimming
most lane measures 400 meters. The seven other lanes are
appropriately marked to indicate the 400-meter distance and the
exceeding land measurement.
• The surface of the oval is even and levelled, covered by mixture of
sand and cinder, some are combination of asphalt and synthetic
rubber.
• The modern running tracks are made out of synthetic rubber like
materials.
Sprint, in athletics (track and field), a footrace over a short distance with an
all-out or nearly all-out burst of speed, the chief distances being 100, 200, and
400 meters and 100, 220, and 440 yards.

The Hurdles
• Hurdling is a sport in athletics (track and field) in which a runner sprints
and leaps over a series of hurdles, which are set on a track with specific
distance apart.
• Runners must stay in their respective lanes throughout the race. If the
runner knocks the hurdles down while leaping, a runner who trails a foot or leg
alongside a hurdle or knocks it down with a hand is disqualified. The Winner
will
be the first player who been complete the course without violation.
The relays
• involve four runners per team. There are two standard events, the
4 × 100- and 4 × 400-meter relays. They are both included in local meets, in
Olympic Games, and IAAF World Championships.
• The first runner in the 4 x 100-meter relay begins the race in starting
blocks. The next three runners receive the baton in the 30 meters passing
and receiving zone.
• The receiver begins running in the acceleration zone within the exchange
zone (30m).
• In the relay, runners should not switch hands when carrying the baton.
Therefore, if the first runner will carry the baton in his right hand, the
receiving hand of the second runner will be left hand, the receiving hand of
the third runner will be right and the final runner will handle it in his left
hand.
Middle and Long distances (800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10000m,
3000m steeplechase)

• In the 800m, runners complete two laps of a 400m track. They

have to follow their respective lanes until the first bend after which
they can compete for the inside line, which is the shortest route to
the finish line.
• Runners make a standing start bunched together in the 1500m,
and can immediately go for the inside line while completing three
and three-quarters of a 400m track.
Middle and Long distances (800m, 1500m, 5000m, 10000m, 3000m
steeplechase) cont.....

• The 5000m participants start bunched up together and can compete for the
inside line immediately as they complete 12-and-a-half laps of the 400m
track.
• In the 10000m, runners can dive for the inside line from a bunched-up start
and have to complete 25 laps of the 400m track.
• The 3000m steeplechase is the standout event in this category. The
participants start together and can go for the inside line as soon as the
starting gun sounds and have to jump over 28 fixed hurdles and seven
water hurdles while completing laps around the 400m track.
 Jumping
Events

• Athletics jumping is basically divided into two types, each with 2 different
modalities: jumps whose objective is to reach the greatest height, and
jumps whose objective is to reach the greatest distance or length.
High Jump
• involves participants taking a run-up and jumping as high as they can over
a four-metre-long bar.
• Each competitor has three attempts per height that they choose to set and
can also choose to move to a greater height without clearing the current
one. Three consecutive failures to clear the bar will result in elimination.
Pole Vault
• competitors sprint along a runway with a pole in hand and jam it down to
launch themselves with the aim to clear a 4.5m long bar at the height they
choose to set.
Long Jump
• participants sprint along a runway and launch themselves from a wooden
board onto a sandpit, with the distance measured from the edge of the
board to the first mark made by the athlete on the pit. If an athlete
launches themself from beyond the board, a foul is called and the jump is
not counted.
Triple Jump
• involves three steps - the hop, step and jump. Participants sprint on a
runway and launch themselves from the edge of a wooden board. They
first land on their take-off foot (hop), then land their opposite foot
(step) and finally jump into a sandpit, with the distance measured from
the edge of the board to the first mark in the pit.
 Throwing
Event

These events necessitate explosive movements. Power is the

component to be considered. Athletics is the place where you can throw
stuff for distance as a real sport. There are four major throwing events
outlined below.
Javelin throw
• participants have to hold a metal-tipped javelin by the corded grip and take
a run-up before throwing it from behind the foul line (or scratch line) and
must do so over the upper part of their throwing arm, negating an
underhand throw.
• The javelin must land tip first in a marked 29-degree sector. Men must
choose a javelin weighing not less than 800g and measuring 2.6-2.7m in
length while it is 600g and 2.2-2.3m respectively for the women.
Competitors have six attempts to throw, and the farthest throw counts.
 Discus Throw
• is an event where participants take one-and-a-half spins before releasing
a metal discus which weighs 2kg and has a diameter of 22cm (men) and
1kg and 18cm (women).
• Competitors must throw from within a 2.5m diameter circle and the
discus has to land inside a marked sector. They can throw six times
during competition, and the farthest throw counts.

Hammer throw
• involves participants throwing a metal ball that’s attached to a grip through
a steel wire. Athletes make three or four spins inside a 2.135m diameter
circle before throwing the ball inside a 35-degree marked sector.
• Competitors can have six attempts, and the best throw counts. The ball
must weigh 7.26kg for men and 4kg for women.
Shot put
• participants have to ‘put’ - not throw - a metal ball (same specifications as
hammer throw, including participant circle) as far as possible.
• The shot must not drop below the line of the athlete’s shoulders during any
of the six attempts and should land inside a marked 35-degree sector.
 Combined
Events

Heptathlon
• is a seven-event contest, which awards points for each event to the
participants and the one with the most points wins.
• The competitors contest the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m
on day 1 and compete in the long jump, javelin throw and 800m on day 2.
Decathlon
• by contrast is a 10-event contest.
• On day 1, the men compete in the 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump
and 400m while on day 2, the events are 110m hurdles, discus throw, pole
vault, javelin throw and 1500m.
Activity 1
Answer
Key