X-Nico

4 unusual facts about Athletics at the Summer Olympics


Athletics at the Summer Olympics

The roster of events has not changed since then, with the exception of the omission of the long racewalk in 1976 (the IAAF held a 50 km walk World Championships that year instead and as a result the event was restored in 1980).

From 1900 to 1920, tug of war was considered to be part of the Olympic athletics programme, although the sports of tug of war and athletics are now considered distinct.

Fencing

Competitive fencing is one of five sports which has been featured at every one of the modern Olympic Games, the other four being Athletics, Cycling, Swimming, and Gymnastics.

Swimming at the Summer Olympics

Along with track & field athletics and gymnastics it is one of the most popular spectator sports at the Games and the one with the second largest number of events (after Athletics).


2009 World Championships in Athletics – Men's 110 metres hurdles

Although he had entered the competition as an outside medal possibility, Brathwaite became the youngest ever champion in the event, and was also Barbados' first ever gold medallist in athletics at either the World Championships or the Olympic Games.

Paul Dickenson

Derek Paul Dickenson (born 4 December 1949 in North Shields, Northumberland) is a retired male hammer thrower from England, who represented the United Kingdom at two consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 1976 (Montreal).

Qualifying standards in athletics

For the highest elite level competitions like the Olympics and IAAF World Championships in Athletics, the world governing body for athletics, the IAAF publishes standards in advance of the competitions.

World Marathon Majors

It comprises six annual races (five 2006–2011, four 2012) for the cities of Tokyo (starting in 2013), Boston, London, Berlin, Chicago and New York City (2006–11, 2013–), a biennial race, the IAAF World Championships Marathon, and a quadrennial race, the Olympic Games Marathon.


see also