4 Types of Events in Athletics

There is no such thing as sports. Sports unite, inspire, motivate. Unlike football, basketball, or volleyball where several people form a team, athletics mostly relies on individual strength, stamina, and speed. In their free time, sports fans enjoy things like watching the best performances of the week, checking out Totesport promo code, or seeking top players that have made history. And some of them spend all their time watching athletics. But what is so compelling about it? Athletics has formed a part of the Olympics from the very beginning. It is comprised of different types of physical activities like throwing, jumping, running, and walking – mostly things that all of us had done at least once in our lifetime and can relate to. There are many divisions when it comes to athletic, but most general ones would be track and field, cross country running, road running, race walking.

Track and Field

Track and field events involve jumping, running, and throwing. They can also be divided into track events, field events, and combined events. 

Track Events

Track events include sprints, middle distance, long distance, relay races, and hurdling. Sprints are races over short distances (100 metres, 200 metres, and 400 metres). Middle distance involves a more planned running than sprints since endurance is more important than speed (800 metres, 1500 metres, and 1 mile). The usual distances for a long distance race are 3000 metres, 5000 metres, and 10000 metres, so stamina and endurance play the main role in this activity. Relay races are the only team event in this category. Each athlete has to run a specific distance and then hand over a baton to a team member. Hurdling involves running with obstacles. There are different lengths for women (100 metres), for men (110 metres), and one for both sexes (400 metres).

Field Events

There are two types of field events – throw events and jump events. Jump events include triple jump, long jump, high jump, and pole vault. Activities like shot put, discus throw, javelin throw, and hammer throw form part of throwing events. 

Combined Events

Women’s heptathlon and Men’s decathlon are the most popular combined events. By participating in a number of different activities, the athlete earns points and in the end, gets a total sum event. 

Cross Country Running

The main feature of this category is the natural terrain. The terrain can be comprised of grass, gravel, flat ground, etc. These races are usually 4-12 kilometres long. In most cases, parks and golf courses are used as the terrain for athletes to run on since these are the most suitable locations. 

Road Running

Road running’s main feature is the terrain on which the runners go. These are long-distance races, ranging from 5 to 42 kilometres, that are run on the road. It is important that the athlete has the highest level of stamina and endurance in order to participate in a race such as this one. 

Race Walking

One of the most unique races in this category, race walking includes a run in which one foot must be in contact with the ground at all times.