Track and Field

▪ Athletics, commonly known as Track and Field, is a collection of sports events that involve running,
throwing, and jumping.
▪ The name athletics is derived from the Greek word “athlos” meaning “contest”.
▪ The International Association of Athletics Federation (IAAF) is the governing body for athletics.
▪ The Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) is the national governing body for
athletics in the Philippines.
Running Events

Track Oval
▪ One lap on the inside lane of a conventional track is 400 meters.
▪ There are 8 lanes in a standard track oval to limit the space for the runner.
Sprints/Dashes
▪ 100 meters

▪ 200 meters

▪ 400 meters
Middle Distance Events - Generally used to describe races between 800m and 3,000m.
▪ 800 meters

▪ 1500 meters

Long Distance Events - Generally used to describe races of at least 5000m.

▪ 5,000-meter run
 ▪ 10,000-meter run

Relays – races in which four athletes participate as a team, passing a baton in between.
▪ 4 x 100-meter relay

▪ 4 x 400-meter relay

o Leg – a designated portion of a relay race.

o Anchor – the last leg of a relay race, or the person who runs the last leg.
o Baton – the hollow tube that is passed between runners in relay races.
Note:
o The passer holds the baton with the right hand. The receiver gets it with the left hand, then transfers
it to the right hand.
o Teams are disqualified if they hand off the baton outside the exchange zone.
Hurdles – events that require the runner to jump over evenly spaced barriers during the race.
▪ 100-meter (women)
the women’s hurdles are 33 inches high or 2’9’’
 ▪ 110-meter (men) high hurdles
the men’s 42 inches high or 3’6’’

The official in hurdle events shall disqualify the competitor who:

o Advances or trails a leg or foot below the top horizontal plane;
o Runs around or under the hurdle;
o Runs over a hurdle not in the hurdle’s lane;
o Impedes another hurdler; and
o Knocks down any hurdle by hand.
Field Events
Jumping Events
▪ High jump – a Track and Field event in which the participants attempt to jump over the highest bar.
▪ Long jump – a track and field event where the participant attempts to jump the longest into a sand pit.
▪ Triple jump – a track and field event where the participant attempts to hop, skip and jump the longest
distance.
▪ Pole vault – an athletics event in which a competitor leaps over a bar using a flexible pole made either
of carbon fiber or fiberglass.
Throwing Events
▪ Discus Throw - the athlete will attempt to throw a heavy disc (called a discus) as far as he/she can.
o The men’s discus weighs 2 kilograms (4.4 pounds) and has an 8.5-inch diameter. The women’s
discus weighs 1 kilogram (2.2 pounds) and has a 7-inch diameter.
o 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.
o athletes have to stay within the throwing circle until the discus lands, and the discus must land
within the specified sector.
▪ Hammer Throw - involves participants throwing a metal ball that’s attached to a grip through a steel
wire.
o Athletes make three or four spins inside a 2.135m diameter circle before throwing the ball inside
a 35-degree marked sector.
o Competitors can have six attempts, and the best throw counts.
o The ball must weigh 7.26kg for men and 4kg for women.

▪ Javelin Throw - track and field event involving throwing a spear-like implement as far as possible.
o The javelin must land tip first in a marked 29-degree sector.
 o 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.
o Competitors have six attempts to throw, and the farthest throw counts.
▪ Shot Put – is a track and field event in which the athlete will “put” (but more like of throwing) a shot –
a heavy metal ball, the farthest that he can without leaving the circle
o 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 contested by only women
The heptathlon is a seven-event contest, which awards points for each event to the participants and the
one with the most points wins
o Day 1 - 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m
o Day 2 - long jump, javelin throw and 800m

▪ Decathlon – only for men, by contrast is a 10-event contest.

o Day 1 - 100m, long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m
o Day 2 - 110m hurdles, discus throw, pole vault, javelin throw and 1500m