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Athletics is integral to the modern Olympics, having been part of every edition since Athens 1896, and is often described as the crown jewel of the world’s biggest sporting event. read more
 "Athletics — history, rules, defending champions")
USA's Noah Lyles (second from left) is a top contender for gold men's 100m as well as 200m sprints. Reuters
Athletics, known as track and field, were at the heart of the ancient Olympics in Greece. It is after all, among the oldest forms of sport invented by humans, with basic day-to-day activities such as walking, running, jumping and throwing forming the basis of the various disciplines that form athletics.
Athletics and are also among the highlights of the modern-day Summer Olympic Games. Sprint events (100 metres and 200 metres, individual as well as relay) are after all, among the most followed events in the Olympics regardless of the era, generating the kind of fanfare that is matched by few other sports. The holder of the world record in the 100-metre event is widely considered the ‘fastest human’.
Paris Olympics 2024: News, schedule, results, medals tally and more
What further adds to athletics’ aura is the fact that track and field events take place at the central venue the hosts the opening and closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games.
The modern version of athletics traces its roots back to 19th century England with competitions being organised as early as 1840. The International Amateur Athletic Federation, the global governing body for the sport, would established shortly after the 1912 Olympics in Stockholm.
What is athletics’s history at Olympics?
Athletics is integral to the modern Olympics, having been part of every edition since the inaugural Games in Athens in 1896. Barring the addition of the 20km race-walk event in Melbourne 1956, the total number of men’s events have remained the same since Los Angeles 1932.
Women’s athletics made its debut in Amsterdam 1928, and had only 17 events until the 1992 Games in Barcelona. However, with the inclusion of the 3000m steeplechase, women compete in as many track and field events as men.
Cross-country running used to be part of the Olympic programme, but was disbanded after Paris 1924. Several other events were also dropped from the Olympics over the years, including a 60-metre sprint that had featured in the 1900 and 1904 Games, with the United States winning gold as well as silver on both occasions.
USA is by far the most dominant nation in track and field with a total of 827 medals, nearly four times that of Great Britain’s 210 medals. That includes a whopping 344 medals, more than five times that of the former Soviet Union’s 64 medals.
American athletes face intense competition from Jamaicans in sprint events with the two sharing a fierce rivalry since the Caribbean island nation made its Olympic debut in London 1948. East African nations such as Kenya, Ethiopia and Uganda, meanwhile, dominate distance running events including the marathon.
What are the rules?
Track events take place on a 400-metre (440 yard) oval track in the Olympic stadium that comprises two straights and two curved bends.
It is on this track where the running events, covering distances from 100 metres to 10,000 metres, take place. Both individual as well as relay running events take place on this track, as do hurdles and steeplechase events.
Field events such as javelin throw, hammer throw and discuss throw take place in the field that’s within the 400-metre track. Others such as long jump and triple jump usually take place in a jumping pit that’s located at the edge of the track.
Then there are events such as the Marathon and racewalks — which can be either 20 kilometres or 50 kilometres — which are road events and have spectators lining the route to cheer for the athletes.
A majority of the track and field events feature the preliminary rounds known as heats, from which the highest ranked athletes proceed to the finals to compete for a podium finish.
Who are the reigning champions?
Men
100m: Marcell Jacobs (Italy)
200m: Andre De Grasse (Canada)
400m: Steven Gardiner (Bahamas)
800m: Emmanuel Korir (Kenya)
1500m: Jakob Ingebrigtsen (Norway)
5000m: Joshua Cheptegei (Uganda)
10000m: Selemon Barega (Ethiopia)
110m hurdles: Hansle Parchment (Jamaica)
400m hurdles: Karsten Warholm (Norway)
3000m steeplechase: Soufiane El Bakkali (Morocco)
4x100m relay: Italy
4x400m relay: USA
Marathon: Eliud Kipchoge (Kenya)
20km walk: Massimo Stano (Italy)
50km walk: Dawid Tomala (Poland)
High jump: Gianmarco Tamberi (Italy)/Mutaz Essa Barshim (Qatar)
Pole Vault: Armand Duplantis (Sweden)
Long jump: Miltiadis Tentoglou (Greece)
Triple jump: Pedro Pichardo (Portugal)
Shot put: Ryan Crouser (USA)
Discus throw: Daniel Ståhl (Sweden)
Hammer throw: Wojciech Nowicki (Poland)
Javelin throw: Neeraj Chopra (India)
Decathlon: Damian Warner (Canada)
Women
100m: Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jamaica)
200m: Elaine Thompson-Herah (Jamaica)
400m: Shaunae Miller-Uibo (Bahamas)
800m: Athing Mu (USA)
1500m: Faith Kipyegon (Kenya)
5000m: Sifan Hassan (The Netherlands)
10000m: Sifan Hassan (The Netherlands)
100m hurdles: Jasmine Camacho-Quinn (Puerto Rico)
400m hurdles: Sydney McLaughlin (USA)
3000m steeplechase: Peruth Chemutai (Uganda)
4x100m relay: Jamaica
4x400m relay: USA
Marathon: Peres Jepchirchir (Kenya)
20km walk: Antonella Palmisano (Italy)
High jump: Mariya Lasitskene (Russian Olympic Committee)
Pole Vault: Katie Nageotte (USA)
Long jump: Malaika Mihambo (Germany)
Triple jump: Yulimar Rojas (Venezuela)
Shot put: Gong Lijiao (China)
Discus throw: Valarie Allman (USA)
Hammer throw: Anita Włodarczyk (Poland)
Javelin throw: Liu Shiying (China)
Heptathlon: Nafissatou Thiam (Belgium)
How many athletes have qualified in athletics?
A total of 1,810 competitors will be participating in various track and field events
Who are the athletes to watch in athletics?
Sha’Carri Richardson, United States: The world champion at 100 meters will be making her Olympic debut after a failed drug test left her on the sidelines three years ago in Tokyo.
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, United States: Is the defending champion and world-record holder in the 400 meter hurdles, though signs point to her trying a different event this year.
Noah Lyles, United States: Lyles is expected to go for the 100-200 double after capturing both titles at world championships last year.
Mondo Duplantis, Sweden: Will try to defend his pole vault title and become the first man since 1956 to win the event at consecutive Olympics. He has broken the world record eight times over the past four years, each time by 1 centimeter; it now stands at 6.24 meters.
When and where will athletics take place at Paris Olympics?
Track runs 2-11 August at Stade de France, with the marathons set for 10-11 August. The marathons will pass through Versailles and, in a break from tradition, the women’s marathon will cap off the action on 11 August.
With inputs from AP
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English (US) ·