Track and field

Track and field is a sport made up of many different contests that involve running, jumping, and throwing. The North American name comes from where the events take place: a running track and a grass field for throwing and some jumping events. It falls under the broader category of athletics, which also includes road running, cross country running, and race walking. In American English, "athletics" doesn't usually mean this wider sport, but outside the U.S., the term can refer either just to track and field or to the whole sport, depending on the situation.

Foot races—such as sprints, middle- and long-distance events, race walking, and hurdling—are won by the athlete who finishes in the shortest time. Jumping and throwing events are won by those who achieve the greatest distance or height. Common jumping events are the long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole vault, while the main throwing events are shot put, javelin, discus, and hammer. There are also combined events, or multi events, like the pentathlon (five events), heptathlon (seven events), and decathlon (ten events), where athletes compete in a mix of track and field disciplines. Most track and field events are individual, with a single winner; the main team events are relay races, usually with four runners per team. Events are almost always divided by gender, though men’s and women’s competitions typically happen at the same venue. An exception is mixed relays, where two men and two women make up the four-person team. If too many athletes enter a race, preliminary heats are used to narrow the field.

Track and field is one of the oldest sports. In ancient times, it was part of festivals and sports meets like the Ancient Olympic Games in Greece. Today, the two most prestigious international competitions are the athletics events at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships. World Athletics, formerly the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), is the international governing body for the sport.

Records are kept for the best performances in specific events at world, continental, and national levels. However, if athletes break the rules or regulations, they are disqualified and their marks are erased.

**History**

Track and field has prehistoric roots, as running, jumping, and throwing are natural human physical expressions. The first recorded organized track and field events were the Ancient Olympic Games, which included running competitions, but the Ancient Olympic pentathlon—a five-event contest of long jump, javelin throw, discus throw, stadion footrace, and wrestling—marked a step toward the modern sport. Track and field events also appeared at the Panhellenic Games in Greece and later spread to Rome around 201 BC. During the Middle Ages, new events developed in parts of Northern Europe. The stone put and weight throw competitions popular among Celtic societies in Ireland and Scotland were precursors to the modern shot put and hammer throw. One of the last events to develop was the pole vault, which came from competitions like fierljeppen in the North European Lowlands in the 18th century.

Separate track and field competitions, apart from general sporting festivals, were first recorded in the 19th century. They were usually organized among rival schools, military groups, and sports clubs. Influenced by a classics-heavy curriculum, competitions in English public schools were seen as human versions of horse racing, fox hunting, and hare coursing. The Royal Shrewsbury School Hunt (RSSH) is the oldest running club in the world, with written records from 1831 and evidence it was established by 1819. The school held Paper Chase races where runners followed a trail of paper shreds left by two "foxes"; even today, RSSH runners are called "hounds" and a race victory is a "kill." The first definite record of Shrewsbury's cross-country Annual Steeplechase is from 1834, making it the oldest running race of the modern era. The school also claims the oldest track and field meeting still in existence, the Second Spring Meeting, first documented in 1840. It included throwing and jumping events along with mock horse races like the Derby Stakes, the Hurdle Race, and the Trial Stakes. Runners were entered by "owners" and named as if they were horses. Thirteen miles away, the first Wenlock Olympian Games were held at Much Wenlock racecourse in 1851, featuring a half-mile foot race and a leaping-in-distance competition.

The first modern athletics clubs were founded at the University of Cambridge in 1857 and the University of Oxford in 1860; the two universities began an annual varsity match in 1864. The London Athletic Club became the first independent athletic club in 1863. The first modern-style indoor athletics meetings were recorded shortly after in the 1860s, including a meet at Ashburnham Hall in London with four running events and a triple jump competition. In 1865, Dr. William Penny Brookes of Wenlock helped set up the National Olympian Association, which held its first Olympian Games in 1866 at the Crystal Palace in London. This national event was a great success, drawing a large crowd.