Questions tagged [track-and-field]

For questions generally relating to the competitions and individual events falling into the family of "track and field" sports, i.e. foot races including hurdles (but excluding marathons and long-distance running; see the "marathon" tag), jumping, vaulting, javelin, shot put, hammer throw, etc.

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Optimal training advice for 800 meter runner?

Background: Last year, I ran a 17:30 XC 5k, a 4:53 mile, a 2:08 800m and a 58s 400m. Using an age graded calculator, it appears my performance increases relatively up to the 800, and then drops off at ...
Axolotl's user avatar
  • 21
3 votes
1 answer
297 views

What strategic considerations go into passing at an attempt in events such as high jump?

So in high jump, the bar gets increasingly raised and athletes can elect to sit out a given height. I guess one reason for that is to preserve energy. But then what are the drawbacks of sitting out? ...
Lagerbaer's user avatar
  • 168
0 votes
1 answer
56 views

4x400 m relay race

For 4x100 m and 4x200 m races, the respective lanes for teams are fixed. It was seen during the heats of 4x400 m in Tokyo 2020 olympics that in few cases, there was lot of confusion during change of ...
Suddhasattwa Ghosh 's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
195 views

What happens if 2 high jumpers do not agree on what to do if they are tied?

In the men's high jump event of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the top 2 competitors were both tied after their final jump. They were given the choice of going to a jump off, or sharing the gold medal. They ...
pacoverflow's user avatar
  • 4,952
3 votes
0 answers
105 views

Why has there never been a T40 Track Race?

I have had a look at some of the records for past Paralympics, and it looks like the T40 Track events have never been run? For example in 2016 Is that data missing or have those events never run? If ...
AncientSwordRage's user avatar
0 votes
1 answer
155 views

In middle school track and field, what if in the 100m dash someone cuts you off?

In middle school track and field if a runner goes into your lane and stays there, would that be an automatic DQ or would the rules be stretched because it's only middle school?
Elliott Johnson's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
105 views

Could a track superstar be successful in the NFL?

Could an Olympic track star, such as Usain Bolt, see success in NFL Football, as a wide receiver or cornerback? Would their speed translate to NFL success? Or does olympic-gold-medal-winning ...
user20545's user avatar
1 vote
1 answer
448 views

What happens if a triple jump runner makes it into the sand on the "step" (second jump)?

I can't seem to find any rules that makes it illegal for the runner of a triple jump to jump into the pit on their second jump. Is it illegal or is their distance simply measured from where they ...
Taako's user avatar
  • 113
4 votes
1 answer
924 views

Why are pole vault indoor records better than outdoor's?

In September 2020, Duplantis beated the world's pole vault record with a 6,15m jump. World Athletics mentioned Duplantis scales 6.15m in Rome, world's highest ever outdoor vault, where I find the ...
fedorqui's user avatar
  • 1,355
4 votes
1 answer
588 views

Is the 4-minute mile still the "highest" standard?

When I ran track in high school, many years ago now, we learned that the 4-minute mile was the ultimate dream goal for many mile runners. Is the 4-minute mile still the "highest" standard? Has the ...
user17506's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
179 views

Can an athlete with double nationality beat two country records at the same time?

There is a tweet about the recent European Athletics Championship in Berlin, 2018: U20 World Record Swedish National Record American Record #2 World Outdoor Mark All-Time #4 World Indoor/...
fedorqui's user avatar
  • 1,355
2 votes
3 answers
13k views

What does SR mean for track?

I know that there's a PR for personal record for track, I was looking as I SR and I have no clue what it means.
Terryal Bell's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
714 views

Why not make the starting pistol predictable in running competitions?

While real starting pistols are no longer used in track and field events, the electronic pistols used now still have a certain degree of uncertainty as runners cannot be fully sure when it would ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
3 votes
2 answers
661 views

Why isn't the combined event the same for men and women in big athletics events?

In major athletics events (Olympic Games, World Championship), men run a decathlon (10 events) and women run a heptathlon (7 events). Why isn't the combined discipline the same for both genders? I ...
user13836's user avatar
16 votes
1 answer
15k views

Why 110-hurdles for men and 100-hurdles for women?

I was watching IAAF World Championship at London 2017 and I notice that men will run 110-metres hurdles while women women the 100-metres hurdles. What is the meaning of this difference? The longest ...
Ale's user avatar
  • 9,312
6 votes
1 answer
9k views

High jump: Why is it not allowed to take off on both feet, do flip flops etc?

I realize that all sports have rules you need to follow, and usually there's good reason for these rules. Still, I wonder about the rules regarding high jump: according to What is the world record in ...
jonasfh's user avatar
  • 161
5 votes
1 answer
244 views

Did an athlete lap the rest of the runners after an illness that left him in bed for a long time before the competition?

I recall reading some time ago a rather inspiring and interesting story about the importance of rest while training for a sport. This specific story was about a runner in the 50s that was training ...
fedorqui's user avatar
  • 1,355
5 votes
2 answers
2k views

How extrordinary is it to win a 400 meter race from lane 8?

Looking back at Rio 2016, how great was Wayde van Niekerks win in the 400m sprint? Not only running the fastest time ever but doing it from lane 8? How much more extraordinary is the feat seeing as it ...
Neil Meyer's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
734 views

Can I take part in the Olympic Games decathlon by default?

I'm 17 and I do the decathlon in high school. My country has a terrible sports history and doesn't have a record for half of the athletics events. Their record for decathlon was set in 1979 and is ...
Branden's user avatar
  • 51
5 votes
2 answers
5k views

How to calculate IAAF points?

The ways to translate results into IAAF points are published in form of huge tables. I am working on a statistics system and need to calculate these points. Retyping all of the tables seems a bit much ...
Džuris's user avatar
  • 259
10 votes
3 answers
2k views

Why was USA disqualified from the 4x100 men's relay final in the Rio Olympics?

After the mens 4x100 relay final races in Rio on August the 19th the commentators said they exchanged the baton outside the box. What does that mean?
Procrastinating Programmer's user avatar
3 votes
1 answer
312 views

Bolt + Blake + Powell ever run together in a 4x100m relay?

I've gone through the best results at alltime-athletics.com, but could not find it. The Rio 2016 Olympic Men's 4x100m Relay final will probably feature Usain Bolt, Yohan Blake and Asafa Powell running ...
durmus's user avatar
  • 33
10 votes
1 answer
5k views

100m sprint: is there evidence for some lanes being better than others?

There is an apparent consensus that when the track begins to curve during longer races, lanes 1 and 8 are marginally worse to run in. But for a 100m sprint, is there any reason (whether psychological ...
Elmo's user avatar
  • 101
8 votes
2 answers
979 views

Is it true that a sprinter ran the 100m in 21.73 seconds in a World Championship?

In many websites (especially in Spanish), it is mentioned that the worst performance in Men's 100m is that of Kim Collins, 21.73 seconds at Athens World Championship in 1997. To make things more ...
leonbloy's user avatar
  • 191
5 votes
1 answer
6k views

What happens when two athletes fall down in a 100m dash?

What happened if an athlete stumbles in a 100m event and trips the athlete in the adjacent lane too? Are both of them disqualified or what?
Manish Bhatt's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
191 views

What is the record for greatest number of athletes with the same finish time in one event?

On Sunday 10 July 2016 at the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam, three athletes in the men's 5000m final finished with exactly the same time of 13:40:85 (a fourth arrived only a hundredth ...
Ale's user avatar
  • 9,312
3 votes
2 answers
3k views

What does HF stand for in context of track and field abbreviations (WR, MR, etc)?

The olympic trials has a site that show the results and standing records for each event. In the records section for each event, they list all the records, one of which is HF. What does HF mean? Here ...
visitor123's user avatar
5 votes
1 answer
2k views

What do the tiny yellow RC cars next to the javelin throwing field do?

When they measure the distance of javelin throws during the European Athletics Championships in Amsterdam, there are small yellow remote controlled cars driving around. Here is a screenshot of them. ...
simbabque's user avatar
  • 153
16 votes
2 answers
5k views

Did Adolf Hitler really snub Jesse Owens at the 1936 Olympics in Berlin?

Did Jesse Owens want to shake Hitler's hand and get their photo together and, if so, did Hitler really snub him? I'm asking this based on a movie I'm watching.
Hack-R's user avatar
  • 265
2 votes
1 answer
1k views

What are multidisciplinary sports? [closed]

What are sports that provide more disciplines? I know triathlon (swimming + cycling + running) biathlon (cross country skiing + shooting) heptathlon/decathlon (track and field) are there any other? ...
Ale's user avatar
  • 9,312
6 votes
1 answer
279 views

Why meldonium "almost" only in East Europe?

Meldonium has been considered a drug used for doping since Jan 1, 2016 and many athletes that used this drug in the past and did not stop have tested positive for it and have been disqualified or ...
ACC's user avatar
  • 71
2 votes
0 answers
61 views

How many jumps are mandatory? [closed]

Im a high school Long Jumper. And my personal best this year is 6.31 mts . I was under the guidance of a coach now. Can anyone tell me how many days I must practice jump in pit in a week? And I have ...
Joe_Vj _95's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
134 views

How do you master the hang technique?

Im a high school long jumper. I have my best of 6.34 meters and I did it with a runway of 24 meters. Now I increased my runway to 40 meters and increased my running speed. My technique is the hang ...
Joe_Vj _95's user avatar
7 votes
1 answer
3k views

Indoor / outdoor track and field different records?

Why there are different records from indoor / outdoor performances? I mean maybe distances 200m and 400m has different tracks (with different lengths of curves and straights) but why there are two ...
Ale's user avatar
  • 9,312
4 votes
1 answer
545 views

How much do starting-blocks affect the 60m sprint?

My previous PB in the 60m was 7.21, with blocks. That was about 18 months ago, the other day I ran 60m in 7.47. I've read the blocks can effect the 100m anywhere from .2 - .4, how much will my time ...
Amon's user avatar
  • 141
4 votes
1 answer
6k views

How is a javelin throw measured if the javelin does not stick into the ground?

If a javelin "slips" on landing and does not stick cleanly into the field, how is the throw measured?
Ale's user avatar
  • 9,312
7 votes
2 answers
1k views

What does the term it's a fast track mean in regards to the long jump track?

I'm watching the women's long jump at the 2015 Beijing world athletics championship, and don't understand why they keep using the phrase, "It's a fast track so some of the girls are struggling with it....
Craig Hurrell's user avatar
8 votes
2 answers
1k views

Has anyone won an olympic gold without setting the fastest time in the competition?

Has anyone won an olympic gold medal without also setting the fastest time in the competition? For example someone else might have set a faster time in the heats, but lost or been disqualified in the (...
Colonel Panic's user avatar
2 votes
1 answer
187 views

Going back to track and field

I trained track and field when I was 13, but stopped at 15 due to excessive obligations. However, in the meantime I started karate, and it's really going well, but now I'm considering returning to ...
user avatar
6 votes
2 answers
7k views

What do you call a javelin thrower?

Is there a name for a javelin thrower? in baseball we've got pitcher, batter etc.
Leo Nix's user avatar
  • 169
9 votes
2 answers
261 views

How to improve blocks start in athletics

I'm try to improve my blocks start but for some reason I'm finding it hard. I'm quite tall but I good with jumping and improving my weights. Is there any drills I can try to improve this?
Nic's user avatar
  • 191
7 votes
1 answer
3k views

What is the age limit for racewalking (20k and 50k) for the Olympics?

I am a race walker, and am interested to take part in the Olympics. But, as I google for the age limit in Olympic race walking, I find nothing. I can see many race walkers are 20+ y.o. and I really ...
honso's user avatar
  • 173
7 votes
2 answers
131 views

Difference between “mark” and “performance”

The results on IAAF (International Association of Athletics Federations) are varying between mark and performance. What's the difference between them? An example can be found on an athlete’s profile. ...
Jan's user avatar
  • 171
9 votes
2 answers
5k views

Why do Hong Kong and China compete separately in Athletics?

At the recent IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Hong Kong and the P.R. of China had separate teams in the 4x100m relay. I understand why the PRC and Chinese Taipei compete separately, as they are ...
pjmorse's user avatar
  • 2,818
8 votes
0 answers
87 views

Long legged swing verses "Scrunch and Punch" method in the vault

I pole vaulted in high school and I originally learned to keep a long trail leg throughout the swing and into inversion; however, I've seen many vaulters have quite a bit of success by instead pulling ...
Michael's user avatar
  • 81
13 votes
1 answer
8k views

What happen when two players touch the finish rope at same time in running?

I don't know whether it would happen or not. My question is, What happen if two athletes touched the finish rope at the same time in running(irrespective of distance either it may be 100m or long ...
Azik Abdullah's user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
5k views

How does one become a professional sprinter?

I know becoming a professional sprinter is far from easy, but I would like to know how. What kind of clubs do you have to join or what kind of tournaments do you go to? What did somebody like Usain ...
user avatar
6 votes
1 answer
3k views

What's the best way to start the 100m sprint?

I'm trying to figure out whether starting the 100m sprint crouched like they do in the olympics is better than starting it standing. I thought maybe that's just a "sport rule", not something that ...
Rafael Almeida's user avatar
13 votes
1 answer
9k views

What happens if there is a tie during an olympic race?

Recently during the USA Track and Field Olympic trials, there was a tie for third place between Allyson Felix and Jenebah Tarmoh. It appears that there was previously no tiebreaker rule in place for ...
Marcus Swope's user avatar
  • 4,645
11 votes
2 answers
13k views

What is the world record in high jump if you allow taking off on both feet?

The current world record in normal high jump is 2.45 metres, set by Javier Sotomayor in 1993. I read somewhere that in normal high jump, jumpers must take off on one foot. But if you relax the rules ...
Erik Sjölund's user avatar