Track and field

Track and field is a sport made up of many different contests based on running, jumping, and throwing. The name, common in North America, comes from where it takes place: a running track and a grass field used for throwing events and some jumps. It falls under the broader category of athletics, which also includes road running, cross country running, and race walking. In American English, "athletics" usually refers only to track and field, but elsewhere it can mean either just that or the whole sport, depending on the situation.

In foot races—sprints, middle- and long-distance events, race walking, and hurdling—the winner is the one who finishes in the shortest time. Jumping and throwing events are won by whoever achieves the greatest distance or height. Common jumping events are the long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole vault; common throwing events are shot put, javelin, discus, and hammer. There are also combined events, like the pentathlon (five events), heptathlon (seven), and decathlon (ten), where athletes compete in a mix of track and field disciplines. Most 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 both men’s and women’s competitions happen at the same venue. Mixed relays, with two men and two women on a team, are an exception. If too many runners enter a race, preliminary heats 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 most prestigious international competitions are the athletics events at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships. World Athletics, once called the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), is the global governing body for the sport.

Records are kept for the best performances in specific events at world, continental, and national levels. Athletes who break event rules or regulations can be disqualified, and their marks are erased.

The sport has prehistoric roots, since running, jumping, and throwing are natural human activities. The first recorded organized track and field events were the Ancient Olympic Games, which included running competitions. The Ancient Olympic pentathlon—a five-event contest of long jump, javelin throw, discus throw, stadion footrace, and wrestling—was a step toward modern track and field.

Track and field events were also part of the Panhellenic Games in Greece and later spread to Rome around 201 BC. In the Middle Ages, new events developed in parts of Northern Europe. Stone put and weight throw competitions among Celtic societies in Ireland and Scotland were precursors to the modern shot put and hammer throw. Pole vault was one of the last events to develop, coming from competitions like fierljeppen in the North European Lowlands in the 18th century.

Separate track and field competitions, not part of general festivals, were first recorded in the 19th century. They were usually organized by rival schools, military groups, and sports clubs. Influenced by classical education, 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 existed 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 win is a "kill." The first definite record of Shrewsbury’s cross-country Annual Steeplechase is from 1834, making it the oldest modern running race. The school also claims the oldest track and field meeting still held, the Second Spring Meeting, first documented in 1840. It included throwing and jumping events along with mock horse races like the Derby Stakes, Hurdle Race, and Trial Stakes. Runners were entered by "owners" and named like horses. Thirteen miles away, the first Wenlock Olympian Games took place 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 in the 1860s, including one at Ashburnham Hall in London with four running events and a triple jump competition. In 1865, Dr. William Penny Brookes of Wenlock helped create the National Olympian Association, which held its first Olympian Games in 1866 at the Crystal Palace in London. This national event drew a large crowd.