Track and Field Guide

CHAPTER 1:
INTRODUCTION
OF ATHLETICS
Prepared by :
Alberto B. Rosete
P.E Instructor

CONTENTS
LESSON 1: HISTORY
LESSON 2: THE TRACK AND FIELD
LESSON 3: TRACK EVENTS
LESSON 4: FIELD EVENTS

• In order to find the origins of Athletics, we would
have to go very far back in history because Athletics
is one of the world’s oldest sporting events. In fact,
Olympic Games as we know them today developed
from the ancient track and field events that were
very being held in Ancient Greece. However, some
historians trace the origins of Athletics back to the
10th or even 9th century BC.
• In the year 776 BC in the ancient Olympia in Greece the first Olympic Games
were held and during that games, only one, to use modern-day terminology,
track and field event was held and that was the stadium footrace and the winner
of that event and the first-ever Olympic winner was Koroibos. Athletics or rather
some of the aspects of athletics were present at the Panhellenic Games that
were held in Greece and from there the ideas and the main concepts of
Athletics spread to Italy around the year 200 BC.

• During the next several centuries Athletics developed in slow
steps.
However, during the Middle Ages, the new wave of track and field
development began. During that time track and field developed in the
Northern part of Europe. Track and field as we know it today began
developing in the 19th century when the first competitions in track
and
field took place. At that time, those track and field competitions
primarily
were organized by educational institutions, sports clubs, and some
military
organizations. The events organized by these institutions were
actually the
ones that included the hurdle races.

• During this period, the first national athletics associations have
been established, and shortly after that first national competitions
took place. Among the first associations that organized such
competitions was the Amateur Athletic Association of England who
in 1880 organized the annual AAA Championship. Even before
England, the New York Athletic Club from the United States
organized the first USA Outdoor Track and Field Championship
back in 1876.

• As track and field were developing in big steps during that time, there was one
common problem that all athletes shared. During that time, all athletes were
considered to be amateurs, and because of the known rule that the amateur athletes
could not receive training money, money prizes, or sponsorship deals that were
ever-growing issues among the athletes. The charges that some athlete might be a
professional eventually lead to stripping of the victories that that athlete had in the
previous period.
• One of the biggest milestones for the development of Athletics came back in 1896 at
the Summer Olympic Games. In those Games in Athens, track and field together
with a marathon comprised the majority of the sporting events at that Games.
Besides that, those Games are also important because they for the first time
introduced the metric measurement that was used in the track and field
competitions. During the next couple of decades the development of the track and
field, or rather, athletics in general, but the Athletics on the path of becoming the
most important aspect of the Olympic Games for every game in the future.

• In 1912, the second milestone in the development of Athletics occurred
when the International Amateur Athletic Federation or IAAF was founded and as
such, it became the international governing body for track and field. The officials
of the IAAF of that time emphasized the importance of amateurism for athletics
and it became the basic principle on which IAAF will continue to operate. Up until
the early 1920s, track and field was only a male sport. Women became part of
athletics only after the women’s sports movement organized the Women’s World
Games back in 1921. However, women for the first time participated in track and
field competitions at the Olympic Games back in the 1928 Summer Olympic
Games.

• After athletics gained more media coverage and since it became
appealing for big companies the amateur statues of the athletes was
dropped in favor of the professionalism. Officially, in 1982, International
Amateur Athletic Federation abandoned the notion of amateurism and it
became the organization of professional athletes. Following that, the next
year marked the first year in which the first IAAF World Championship in
Athletics was held and from that moment, the popularity of athletics and
athletes continued to grow and today they are among the most respected
athletes in any sport.

● Track and field (also known as track and field sports, track and
field athletics, or commonly just track) is a sport comprising
various competitive athletic contests based around the
activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the
sport derives from the venue for the competitions:
a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a
grassy area. The throwing and jumping events generally take
place within the central enclosed area.
THE TRACK AND FIELD

● Track and field is one of the sports which (along with road running, cross-country
running and race walking) makes up the umbrella sport of athletics. It is under the
banner of athletics that the two most prestigious international track and field
competitions are held: the athletics competition at the Olympic Games and
the IAAF World Championships in Athletics. The International Association of
Athletics Federations is the international governing body for track and field.
● Track and field events are generally individual sports with athletes challenging
each other to decide a single victor. The racing events are won by the athlete with
the fastest time, while the jumping and throwing events are won by the athlete who
has achieved the greatest distance or height in the contest. The running events are
categorized as sprints, middle and long-distance events, relays, and hurdling.
Regular jumping events include long jump, triple jump, high jump and pole vault,
while the most common throwing events are shot put, javelin, discus and hammer.
There are also "combined events", such as heptathlon and decathlon, in which
athletes compete in a number of the above events.

● Records are kept of the best performances in specific
events, at world and national levels, right down to a personal
level. However, if athletes are deemed to have violated the
event's rules or regulations, they are disqualified from the
competition and their marks are erased. The athletes wear
small clothes that make running easier; men wear shorts
and sleeveless shirts while women wear swim-like suits.

TRACK EVENTS
Running events include:
• Sprints (100m, 200m, 400m)
• Middle distance (800m, 1500m)
• Long distance (3000m Steeplechase, 5000m, 10,000m)
• Hurdles (110/100m, 400m)
• Relays (4x100m, 4x400m, mixed 4x400m)
Hurdle
Steeplechase
Walking
Relay

SPRINT
Sprint Running (Athletics)
• Sprint running races are short distances races in which athletes try to run at
their maximum speed throughout the entire distance of the race. Sprint
races are part of the track and field discipline and are included in all events
that feature track and field competitions.
• The 400m oval running track is split into eight lanes, where each lane is 4ft
wide. Up to eight athletes compete in a single race. Competitions are
conducted in a heats format, where athletes in groups of eight take part in a
every race, with winners moving on to the next round, until the final winner is
decided.
• Sprint races can be of various distances from 50 - 400m. The three formats
used for the Olympics are: 100m, 200m and 400m. The 100m and 400m
races are also conducted in a relay format where a team of four each run a
leg and pass a baton from one runner to the next.

• For the 100m race all runners are lined up in a straight line in a track,
and for the 200m and 400m the start position is based on which lane the
athlete is on the track. The runner to first cross the finish line is the
winner. The time taken to finish the race for each athlete is also tracked
for historical record keeping.

MIDDLE DISTANCE
• Middle distance races are part of the track and field discipline, usually the 800m
and 1500m races, though it encompasses all track running races from 800m up
to 3km such as the mile. Any longer races on the track as referred to as long
distance races, which comprises of all running races of distances from 3km up
including the steeplechase.
• The 800m runners start the race in lanes, though they merge together after about
100m to run along the inside of the track. Longer middle distance races such as
the 1500m and mile races start with the runners spread across the track in a line
and they immediately race to the inside of the track. As the runners are not
restricted to run in their own lane, it enables more jockeying for position and for
tactics to play a part, making for exciting finishes to races.

LONG DISTANCE
• Endurance running, also referred to as long-distance running, is a sport of
the track and field discipline, which comprises of all running races of distances
from 3kms up to the marathon. The sport has recently been dominated by
runners from African countries, who hold the world records for all long distance
races.
• There are several distances for which long-distances races are conducted, of
which the most common are the, 5K, 10K, and the marathon (42.2K) races.
Some of the other types of endurance running that are less popular are, the half
marathon, ultra-marathon and cross-country running.

• In major competitions, the 5K and 10K races are mostly conducted
on a track, and the marathon races are conducted on city roads.
The Olympics and the World Championships both have races for
all the three distances, for both men and women.
• Though the 5K and 10K races are only conducted as part of a
major event, every year, several standalone marathon races are
held in various cities around the world, for both men and women.
In these races, amateurs are also allowed to take part along with
professional runners. Some of the most popular marathons are,
New York marathon, Boston marathon, London marathon, Berlin
marathon, Chicago marathon, and Tokyo marathon.

HURDLING
• Hurdling is the basis of a few track and field events. In the said events,
obstacles or barriers which are called hurdles are set to which each athlete
must jump over. Failure to do so may get an athlete disqualified. The standard
hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. There is also a
400-meter hurdle race for both men and women.
• All these distances are events in the Summer Olympics and the World
Championships in Athletics. The 110-meter and 100-meter hurdles are done
on a running track, the 400-meter versions covers one whole oval track. There
are also shorter distances which are done on indoor tracks, the distances start
from 500 meters onwards. Hurdles in track races are usually 68-107
centimeters in height, but sometimes it varies on the age and gender of the
• Hurdles or hurdling is a track and field sport which
involves running and jumping over obstacles at
speed. Hurdling is part of athletics at the Olympic
Games.

RELAYS
• Relay running is a type of running race in which athletes compete as a team,
rather than as individuals. The two most common relay races in track and field
are the 4 x 100m and the 4 x 400m races, in which four athletes run 100m and
400m each respectively. A less common relay is the sprint medley relay, usually
consisting of four legs run at distances of 400, 200, 200, and 800 meters. The
latest event to be added to the athletics program is the mixed 4x400m (2 men, 2
women).
• The major aspect of a relay race is the baton. The first runner of each team
starts the race with a baton. After the first runner completes their part of the run,
the baton has to be passed on to the next runner in the team. This continues
until the final runner finishes the race with the baton in hand.
• During each exchange the athlete receiving the baton is allowed to be in motion
before receiving the baton, but cannot go beyond 10m without the baton. If any
of the athlete drops the baton, or the runner exceeds the 10m limit, the team will
be disqualified.

• For the 100m each relay, runners have to stay in their lane for the entire
race, whereas for the 400m race, the first runner stay in their lane, the
second runner moves into the inside lanes after running their first bend.
• Relay running is a part of the track and field events, and is contested during
the Olympic Games and the World Championships.

STEEPLECHASE EVENTS
• Steeplechase, in athletics (track-and-field), a footrace over an
obstacle course that includes such obstacles as water ditches, open
ditches, and fences.
• The sport dates back to a cross-country race at the University of
Oxford in 1850. As an Olympic track event (for men only), it was first
run in the 1900 Games, and by the 1920 Games it was standardized
at 3,000 metres, or about 7.5 laps on a 400-metre track.
The steeplechase is also contested at a distance of 2,000 metres in
international meets, though not at the Olympic Games. Scandinavian
runners, such as Volmari Iso-Hollo of Finland, were the top finishers
from the 1920s through the ’40s, but Kenyan athletes, led by Kip
Keino and Moses Kiptanui, came to dominate the event after
midcentury.

• Runners of the standard course face a total of 7 water jumps and
28 hurdling jumps. Hurdles are 91.4 cm (36 inches) high, and one of
them, which has a top bar of 12.7 cm (5 inches), is placed
immediately in front of the water jump, which is 3.66 meters (12 feet)
long.

RULES IN RUNNING EVENTS
The runners should abide by the following rules in order to complete a race −
• Sprinters should run in designated lanes and cannot cross lanes, throughout
the race.
• In races with bunched starts, athletes can break inside. In 800-meter race, they
start from staggered positions and can break inside after the first bend.
• In longer races of 1500 meters, 5000 meters, and 10000 meters, athletes can
break inside after the start.
• Sprinters shouldn’t step on white lines that mark their lanes throughout the
race.
• Sensors are placed in the starting pistol and at the blocks. In case of a false
start, the athlete is disqualified.
• Before giving the ‘set’ command or before firing the starter gun, athletes cannot
touch the other side of the start line with their hands or feet.
• Athletes should not obstruct other athletes during the race.
• If an athlete is obstructed, the referee may order the race to be held again, or
he may ask the athlete to take part in the next round.

TRACK DESIGN
Running competitions are held either on Outdoor Tracks or Indoor Tracks.
Outdoor Tracks − Running races can be conducted both indoors and
outdoors. In international competitions, outdoor tracks are oval shaped
and they encompass the field used for various field events.
Indoor Tracks − World indoor athletic championships are held in indoor
tracks. The indoor track is also an oval shaped track with measurements
similar to that of outdoors, but it has a 60-meter straight track across the
length of the oval. This is used for the 60-meter sprint race.

RUNNING - TERMS
Before knowing the rules and the procedure for racing, let’s get familiar with
some common terms used in this sport.
Starting Blocks − Starting blocks are provided at the starting points in most
sprint races. These blocks have sensors to record starting time and pressure.
They provide grip and help athletes to push themselves at the start.
False Start − Once the starting signal is given, players usually take more
than 0.1 seconds to respond to it and start running. A player who reacts
before 0.1 seconds is disqualified.
Starting lines − Starting lines are 50 mm wide lines in white that indicate the
starting point in a race. In a straight 100-meter race, the lines are all straight;
in the 200 meter and 400 meter race the lines are staggered or curved so
that each athlete runs equal distances to finish the race.

Finish line − The finish line is a 50 mm wide line marked across the
track. It usually is a straight line perpendicular to the sides of the track
and is at the straight part of the track. If it is at the curved part of the
track, it is marked along the radius.
Break lines − Break lines are 50 mm wide arced lines and indicate the
end of a bend. Small cones or prisms of any color other than white are
sometimes placed on the lines separating lanes before the break lines
start.

Jumping
Jumping events include:
• Long Jump
• High Jump
• Triple Jump
• Pole Vault

LONG JUMP
• Long jump is a sport of the track and field discipline in which athletes try to
leap forward as far as possible. The event is known to be part of ancient
Olympics, and has been a part of modern Olympics since its inception in
1896.
• To perform a long jump, athletes sprint down a runway and takeoff from a
wooden marker board which is about 8 inch wide, and travel as far as
possible in the air, before landing into a sand pit. No part of the athlete's
foot should cross the takeoff board, if it does, the jump is disqualified. After
the jump, the traceable mark on the sand pit, closest to the takeoff board is
used to measure the distance of the jump. Each athlete gets three
attempts in each round.

• Long jump competitions are part of all track and field events, the most
popular of which are the Olympics and the World Championships.
Competitions are conducted for both men and women in all events. The
men's world record as of 2015 was set by Mike Powell from the United
States, recording a 8.95 m jump, and the women's it is 7.52 m, set by
Galina Chistyakova.

RULES AND
REGULATIONS
Long Jump:
• The athlete begins running from his or her starting position and
jumps, landing in a sand pit. There is a foul line, in the run-up
area, that the athlete has to be aware of;
• Jumping from beyond this line results in a 'foul jump'. Jumpers try
to get as close to the foul line as legally possible before initiating
their jump.
• No part of the athlete's foot should cross the front edge of the foul
line. If, at the point of take-off, any part of his foot crosses the front
edge of the foul line, then the jump is termed to be illegal or a 'foul
jump', and does not count.
• The long jumper has three attempts to register his or her best legal
jump. A foul jump accounts for an attempt. Only the farthest legal
jump counts.
• The distance or the 'jump' is measured from the front edge of the
foul line to the first landing point of the athlete, from the first point

TRIPLE JUMP
• Triple jump is an athletic sport of the track and field discipline, in which
athletes get to take two steps before making the final jump. The first two
steps are also referred to as hop and step. The objective of the sport is to
cover as much distance as possible in the three leaps.
• A triple jump field consist of a runway path, a marker line to start the jump
from, and a sand pit about 14 feet away from takeoff line. To make the
jump, athletes sprint towards the takeoff mark and perform hop, step and
jump in one continuous sequence. All three aspects of the triple jump are
required to be performed in the correct foot sequence. The foot used for
takeoff should be used for landing of the first jump. The second jump
should land on the other foot, and the third jump has to be landed with both
feet together.

• If an athlete oversteps the takeoff mark or misses the foot sequence, the
jump is disqualified. Each athlete gets six attempts, and the athlete with
the longest jump is declared as the winner.
• Triple jump is an Olympic event and is conducted for both men and
women. World Championships and all other major athletic events also
feature triple jump competitions.

RULES AND
REGULATIONS
The rules for the triple jump are quite simple for an athlete. An athlete
simply needs to do the following.
• Start the jump before the board. If they go over the foul line on the
take-off board, the attempt will be discarded as a foul.
• When jumping, the athlete must land on the same foot used to take-
off (Hop).
• During the second phase, the athlete must land on the opposing foot
and initiate the third phase of the jump.
• The athlete can land in the sand.
• The measured distance will be measured from the closest mark in
the sand to the take-off point.

HIGH JUMP
• The high jump event is part of track and field. The participants attempts to
jump over a horizontal bar placed up high without the aid of any devices.
The winner is the athlete to successfully clear the highest bar height.
• The participants can begin jumping at any height which is announced by
the judge, they can also pass. They then have three attempts to clear the
height. If the height is cleared, they can them attempt the next height,
where they will have three more attempts. Once the jumper has three
consecutive misses, they are out of the competition and the highest height
they cleared is their result.
• The participants cannot take off on both feet; they must take off on one
foot. A failed jump is when the bar is dislodged by the action of the
participant while jumping. The style or technique the participants use must
be flawless so that they can have a chance of clearing a high bar.

• Special high jump footwear is often used for this event; the shoes have
thicker soles and extra grip at the heel to provide stability and support at
take off.

RULES AND
REGULATIONS
High Jump
• The height of the bar will start where all competitors are capable of
jumping. The height the bar is raised between each round will also
be geared to the ability of the competitors. The competitors shall be
informed of this before the competition begins.
• Competitors have a maximum of seven jumps.
• Competitors may commence jumping at any of the heights above the
minimum height and may jump at their discretion at any subsequent
height.
• Elimination will be after 3 consecutive failures (although they do not
have to be at the same height).
• After the competitor has won the competition and still has jumps to
take, the height to which the bar is raised shall be decided after the
judge of the competition has consulted the wishes of the competitor.

• Ties for first place only shall be decided by counting back. In the
event of a tie the winner will be (reference the IAAF Handbook)
• The athlete with lowest number of jumps at that height
• The athlete with the fewest number of failures up to and including
the last height cleared. If there is subsequently still a tie for first
place the jumpers move back to the last height which those
included in the tie jumped at one attempt
• If more than one jumper involved in the tie is successful the bar
goes up until there is a result.
• If there is still a tie for first place jumper move back to the last
height which those included in the tie jumped at one attempt
• The designated high jump judge will decide whether or not a jump
is valid.

POLE VAULT
• Pole vault is a full medal track and field event at Olympic Games, requiring a
competitor to leap over a bar using a long flexible pole made either of carbon
fiber or fiberglass. It is one of the four major jumping events in athletics, the
other three are high jump, long jump and triple jump. The pole vault has a lot
of similarities to high jump.
• Pole Vault requires high running speed as an essential requirement for a
athlete to be able to successfully jump over the bar using the pole. The
technique requires a lot of practice and time to be mastered. Inexperienced
athletes trying the pole vault can lead to broken poles and injury.
• It is crucial to use a pole in accordance to your body weight. Usually there is a
red band to indicate recommended range of where to grip the pole. There is a
specific area in which pole bends perfectly and the vaulter must take special
consideration of that for efficient bending.

• The winner is the athlete to successfully clear the highest bar height. The
athlete can choose which height they would like to start. They then have three
attempts to clear the height. If the height is cleared, they can them attempt the
next height, where they will have three more attempts. Once the vaulter has
three consecutive misses, they are out of the competition and the highest height
they cleared is their result.

RULES AND
REGULATIONS
Pole Vaulting Rules
• Each athlete chooses his/her height that they wish to be entered
for in competitions
• Each competitor has three tries to clear the height; if cleared, the
jumper advances to the next height and will again, have three
more attempts.
• If a competitor fails to clear all three attempts, they are out and
their highest height is recorded; if a competitor fails to clear any
bar throughout the entire competition, they will receive a ?NH?
which stands for ?no height?.

• Competitors also have the option of passing a height. For instance, if
a vaulter misses their first jump, they have the option of passing on to
the next height, but with only two attempts instead of three.
Correspondingly, if a vaulter misses two jumps in a row, they can
also pass to the next height but with only one attempt left. Once a
competitor reaches their third miss, they are out.
• A jump-off takes place in the event of a tie and it is considered
sudden death starting at the last attempted height. If both vaulters
miss, the bar is lowered and if the jump is made, it is raised a little bit.
Each competitor gets one attempt.
Fouls Are Ruled When:
The pole dislodges the bar, even if the vaulter cleared the bar
The competitors fail to complete a jump within the time that is allotted,
counting as a missed attempt

Throwing
Throwing events include:
• Discus
• Shot Put
• Javelin
• Hammer Throw

DISCUS
THROW
• Discus or discus throw, is a track and field event. In this event, the
athlete will attempt to throw a heavy disc (called a discus) as far as
he/she can.
• There are varying weights for international competitions. Men through
age 49 will throw a 2-kilogram discus; 1.5 kilograms for 50-59-year old
men’ 1 kilogram for 60 and beyond. For the women through age 74, the
discus throw is around 1 kilogram, for women 75 years old; the discus is
around .75 kilograms.
• The discus is usually made of plastic, wood, fiberglass, and carbon
fiber. For the athletes to make a throw, they will start in a circle of 2.5
meters in diameter. Then the athlete will spin counter clockwise around
one and a half time through the circle, then the athlete can release
his/her throw.

• The discus must land around the 34.92-degree sector. The six key
movement of discus throw are: wind up, move in rhythm, balance,
right leg engine, orbit, and delivery.

RULES AND
REGULATION
Discus
• The body of the disc could be made either of wood or other suitable
material, having a circular edge with a metal rim.
• It could either be solid or hollow. It should weigh around 2 kg and
have a diameter of 22 cm (for men). For women the weight is 1 kg
and the diameter is 18 cm. The cross section of the edge should
have a radius of 6mm and it should be a proper circle.
• The sides of the disc shall be identical, sans any sharp edges,
irregularities, and protrusions.
• The sides should taper in a straight line from the point where the
curve of the rim starts to a circle which has a radius of 25 mm to
28.5 mm, from the mid point.
• Finally, the finishing has to be smooth.

The Throw
• The discus can be thrown by an athlete after he or she stands in a
circle which has a diameter of 2.5 meter.
• While the athletes attempt the throw, they cannot touch the top of the
rim. However, they can touch the inner part of the rim of the circle.
• An athlete is not permitted to touch the ground outside the stipulated
circle.
• Furthermore, prior to the disk hitting the ground, the athlete cannot
go out of the circle. If he or she does that, it is considered as a foul.
• In Olympics, each of the athletes is given 8 chances and the best of
them is recorded to determine the result.
• Another important point is that if the disc ends up outside the landing
area, the throw would not be held valid.

SHOT PUT
• 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 that is 7 feet wide. To win this, the athlete
should put the shot farther among its competitors.
• This sport was known to have started by the Ancient Greeks, but the
very first event of it on record was in Scottish Highlands during the first
century. In the Middle Ages, there were known competitions for soldiers
throwing cannonballs. With time, shot put competitions were included in
big events like British Amateur Championships and last 1896, shot put
for men became an official event for Olympics. Eventually, shot put
competitions for women were also included from 1948.

• How to perform the shot put may sound so simple, but winning it requires great
deal of balance, coordination, power, and momentum. The shot should be held by
the base of the fingers - not the palm, and the hand should be bent back. The
shot should be put in the neck and the palm should be facing the putting direction.
• During the throw or put as it is called, there are different styles that you can use to
get the maximum distance. The glide style involves rotating 180 degrees towards
the putting direction and there’s the spin style in which the thrower faces the rear,
then spins to the throwing direction but giving the upper body a hard twist to get
the highest possible throwing momentum.

RULES AND
REGULATIONS
Shot Put Rules
• Once the athlete's name is called, they have 60 seconds to
release the shot
• The shot must be placed close to the neck and resting on the
shoulder, while keeping it in that position the entire time until it is
released. No padding or extra equipment is necessary
• The shot must be released above the height of the shoulder with
one hand
• The athlete is permitted to touch the inside surface of the stop
board; however neither the top nor the outside of the circle or stop
board can be touched or passed
• The shot is required to land within the legal sector (34.92⁰)
• The competitor must exit the circle from the back

Fouls Occur When:
• A player does not pause within the circle before throwing motion
• A player allows the shot to drop below the shoulder
• The shot lands outside the boundaries of the sector or touches the
sector line
• A player leaves the circle before the shot has landed or the
competitor fails to leave the circle from the back
• The player touches the top/end of stop board, the top of the iron
ring, or steps or touches on/outside of the line of the circle

JAVELIN
• Javelin or javelin throw is part of the track and field event. A javelin or a
spear about 8 feet long is used to throw for maximum distance. The
participant runs first within a predetermined area and then throws the
javelin.
• The IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federation) stated that
non-orthodox techniques cannot be used in javelin throw. The
participants must hold the javelin at its grip and throw over hands, over
the participant’s upper arm or shoulder.
• Like other throwing competitions, the participant is not allowed to leave
the area until the javelin has landed. The participants throw the javelin
towards a sector which has an angle of 28.96 degrees extending
outwards from the end of the runway.

• Javelin is a part of the men’s decathlon and the women’s heptathlon. In
international competitions, men use a javelin between 8 feet 6 inches
and 8 feet 10 inches; the women use a javelin between 7 feet 3 inches
and 7 feet 7 inches.

RULES AND
REGULATIONS
• Holding the javelin must be done at the grip part and should
always be maintained above the shoulder level.
• For valid throw, the javelin must lie before the specified zone and
its tip should hit the ground.
• There is a special marking line on the runway within which the
athlete needs to throw.
• The athlete should not leave the ground until the javelin lands on
the ground.
• After the throwing action has been made, the thrower should not
turn back towards the pointing direction, until it lands.
• The number of throws allowed per athlete is same as that of the
discus throw.
• Once the competition has started, the athletes cannot use the
perimeter for practice purpose.

• Using any device that may assist the thrower in throwing is strictly
prohibited. For example, tapping of fingers are not allowed unless
there is a wound.
The throw will be considered as a foul in the following cases −
• Improper throw of the javelin in the attempt.
• Demarking of the line with any body part.
• Player going out of the marking line while throwing
• The tip of the javelin lies outside the edges of the landing sector.
• The time is increased to 1 minute if there are 2-3 number of
competitors. In case only one competitor is left, time is increased to
2 minutes.

HAMMER
• Hammer throw is one of the events in track and field competitions. A
heavy object on the end of a thin wire is hurled for maximum distance.
The game dates back to the 15th century. Hammer throw is one of the
oldest events in the Olympic Games.
• For the men’s division, the hammer weighs around 16 pounds and
measures around 3 feet and 11 ¾ inches. For the women’s division, the
hammer weighs around 8.82 pounds and measure around 3 feet and 11
inches in length. A winner is decided if he or she can throw the hammer
the farthest. It was used to be thought as a strength event, but now it’s
more on speed so one can throw the hammer in a farther distance.

• The action of throwing involves two swings, then around three or four
body rotations in circular motion using a heel-toe movement of the foot.
This is then moved in a circular path. It gradually increases its velocity,
and then the participant throws the ball from the circle.

RULES AND
REGULATIONS
An athlete has to abide by the following rules while performing in a
Hammer Throw competition
• Before the starting of preliminary swinging, an athlete is allowed to
put the head of hammer either inside or outside the circle.
• It is not a foul if before the starting of preliminary swing, the thrower
puts his hammer on ground but if after preliminary swing, the head of
the hammer touches ground or the hammer is dropped by the athlete,
then it will be counted as a foul.
• While being in the air, if the hammer breaks then it will not be counted
as foul, provided the athlete has played under correct rules and
regulations.

Rules about Hammer
A hammer consists of the following three parts: Metal head, Wire, and
Grip.
• The head of the hammer should be made up of solid material like iron
and it should be spherical in shape. The diameter should be 110 mm
for men and 95 mm for women.
• Filling is allowed and should be done in such a manner that it will be
immovable and the center of gravity will not be more than 6 mm from
the center of the sphere.
• Wire that is going to be used over here will be single and unbroken
type having a minimum diameter of 3mm. It should not stretch more
while being in air. The wire can be lobbed to the either ends of the
hammer.

• Construction of the grip can be either single or double loop type
but it should be rigid and should not have any hinging joints at
both the sides.
• The grip should be attached to the wire in such a manner that it
cannot be turned within the loop of the wire.
• Measurement of the hammer should be done from the inside of
the grip.
• To ensure the safety of the spectators, the performance should
be carried out inside an empty cage.

REFERENCES:
http://www.carifta2012.com/the-history-of-athletics-track-and-field-
history/https://www.topendsports.com/sport/athletics/events.htm
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/running/running_terms.htm
https://www.nordangliaeducation.com/en/our-schools/shanghai/pudong/fobisia/official-
rules-and-regulations/athletics-rules-and-regulations
https://www.sportsunlimitedinc.com/sportsu-pole-vault.html
https://sportsaspire.com/discus-throw-rules
https://www.sportsunlimitedinc.com/shot-put-rules.html
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/javelin_throw/javelin_throw_rules.htm
https://www.tutorialspoint.com/hammer_throw/hammer_throw_rules.htm

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