Talk:Athletics

The following appears to have been lost when Track running was changed to redirect here. There may be material here which needs merging into the article by someopne who knows the subject:

Running events held at a purpose-built athletics track.

Running tracks are composed of two straights connected by two semicircular turns. The innermost part of the track has a circumference of 400 metres. A number of concentric lanes are marked on the track (usually eight, but occasionally more or fewer). It is coated with a rubberised surface that allows runners equipped with appropriate footwear (usually fitted with metal spikes that dig into the rubber) to get good grip, and cushions the impact on joints.

There are many track running events, differing slightly for men and women. For men, the commonly-run events include the 100,200,400,800,1500, 5000 and 10,000 metres, and for women 100,200,400,800,1500,3000 and 5000 metres.

Events 400 metres and shorter are regarded as sprint events, and are run exclusively in individual lanes (except in indoor areans where the second lap of the 400 metres in run 'out of lane'), with competitors using starting blocks to rest against in an attempt to get the fastest start possible, and competitors run as fast as they can for the entire race. These events, particularly the 100 metres, are primarily tests of muscle power, anerobic energy systems, technique, and reaction times.

Events of between 800 and 3000 metres are classed as middle-distance events. After a slightly staggered start, runners converge to the inner lane of the track. Collisions between runners are common. Runners change their speed throughout the race (usually speeding up for a sprint on the last lap), and tend to run in packs. Tactics are very important in these events. Some runners are capable of maintaining very high speeds for short periods of time, so these runners prefer to stay in a pack running relatively slowly until close to the end of the race and then sprint to the finish line, where other runners may be able to main slightly lower speeds for much longer periods and start accelerating further from the finish in the hope of tiring their competitors. Still other runners (notably many from Kenya) like to vary their pace throughout the race in the hope of disrupting their competitors' rhythm.

The longest track events, the 5,000 and 10,000 metres, are almost mini-marathons in terms of athletic requirements and tactics, and indeed many marathon runners also race in these events.

Track running also includes the 110 and 400 metre hurdles events, where at intervals around the track wooden barriers (mounted so that if they are touched by a competitor, they will fall down easily and allow the runner to continue). Competitors leap over the hurdles as they complete their race, though there is no penalty for touching or knocking over a hurdle except for the disruption it causes to the hurdler's stride. Hurdles is a highly technical event rewarding runners who can manage their stride length and timing perfectly.

The steeplechase is a 3000 metre (and thus middle-distance) event with with addition of five barriers at approximately 80 metre intervals around the track. These solid wooden flat-topped barriers cannot be knocked down, but competitors can use the top of them to leap off. It is also notable for adding a "water jump" in which the landing over the steeple is a shallow pool.

Track running events, particularly the 100 metre sprint, are regarded as the most prestigious events at the Summer Olympic Games. Competitors from the United States, mainly of African descent, have dominated athletics competition for many years, but there is little interest from American spectators outside Olympic games. A professional circuit of events is held, mainly throughout Europe, and there are biannual World Championships.

Contents

1 Records 2 It should be separate 3 Fighting 4 Awaiting Ratification 5 Move the page back 5.1 Athletics (British usage) → Athletics

Records

• World Record progression 100 m men

Hi Guys,

It's great to finally find a site that caters so exquisitely to my love of all things athletic. However, there is something that has been bothering me for some time. You see, I am a Dutch boy and was wondering how you call the material out of which running tracks are made. It is absolutely essential that I be fuirnished with this informatuion as soon as possible so get typing and hope to see you all in Holland in the near future,

Your Friend, Henricus A. van Puijenbroek Esq.

It should be separate

Some of the information above should be worked into an article but it should be a separate article. The article on track running should never have been made a redirect in the first place. I see there has already been a mini edit war about this - the articles were combined, then someone correctly separated them again, then someone else combined them again, evidently just trowing out the information in the track running article. If someone is going to take the time to work information about track running in, they should put it in a separate article, so others can add to the interesting subject of track running about which many books have been written. Bluelion 23:08, 21 Jul 2004 (UTC)

Fighting

Isn't wrestling (and to a modern extent, boxing, and martial arts) part of athletics?--ZayZayEM 06:28, 8 Nov 2004 (UTC)

The definition says this article is about "Athletics, also known as track and field or track and field athletics", I guess (English is not my primary language) this is one of those differences between English and American English. Americans, I note, use athletics with a much wider meaning.

The IAAF (Self-defined as governing body for the sport of Athletics) in their Constitution defines athletics as "Track and field, road running, race walking, cross country running and mountain running".

For international users current content is coherent with for example my English-Spanish dictionary which translates Athletics as Atletismo, and in Spanish atletismo is for sure what is defined by IAAF. Bauhaus 05:18, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Oh! I've just see you are from Australia. Bauhaus 05:24, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

I was actually working from a British source though. I've always considered Olympics to be divided into three things – Swimming races, Athletic sompetition and Team Sports. You aren't wrestling right if you fall into the other two categories. --ZayZayEM 12:22, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Awaiting Ratification

I'm about to update the record table with the 7:53.63 steeplechase record from Saif Saaeed Shaheen, the record is awaiting ratification, as are Liu Xiang's 110 m hurdles and Yelena Isinbayeva's Pole Vault. So now is coherent, is also coherent with steeplechase article. Do you think this fact should be advised? or would it be confusing or even misleading for general user, or too long to explain it doesn't mean that there is any doubt about its legality. I will also add the decathlon female record. This case is more complicated, is the first world record to be ratified, as long as there is no better perfonce before the end of the year. Bauhaus 05:56, 1 Dec 2004 (UTC)

Move the page back

Why was this page moved.

It seems unneccesary. Even if a seperate page is to be demanded for the American definition of Athletics, it should be put at Athletics (American usage) and linked to from the Athletics article.

If no response is made, or a new article/disambiguation placed at Athletics, I will move it back.

If a new article is placed in Athletics describing American usage, I will combat its placement there.--ZayZayEM 00:20, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

I agree. Move it back. I don't think that somebody wanted an article called "Athletics (American Usage)"; its just that in America (Canada is much like the United States in this, I think, but there may be some differences) this normally is called by the term "Track and Field" rather than, or as an adjective modifying, "Athletics." So redirect "Track and Field" to "Athletics" as it has been done, there's no reason to screw up the name of this article. Whoever did the changing didn't even have the courtesy to fix it so we don't get a double-redirect from Track and field. Gene Nygaard 00:32, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Done. violet/riga (t) 11:54, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

Athletics (British usage) → Athletics

The following is the log taken from a request at Wikipedia:Requested moves

Reverting an odd undiscussed move that really just muddles things up.--ZayZayEM 00:40, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

• It is rather an odd move, unless there's some (non-british?) definition of athletics someone wants to dab. Support move back, but willing to change my vote if a good reason is given. --fvw* 00:57, 2005 Jan 29 (UTC)
• Support. Noisy | Talk 01:54, Jan 29, 2005 (UTC)

I've put this back to where it should be. I'm leaving this here (for the moment) to note that the person that did this (Vacuum), after having the BE/AmE difference of the word pointed out in a discussion below, moved the article and then attempted to block other people reverting it by making pointless edit history at the redirect (Athletics). violet/riga (t) 11:53, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

• Neutral: Considering the Canadian and American usage of the words athletics and athletic is more of an ubiquitous definition over the entire world of sporting achievement and physical competition, isn't it best to make Athletics an article discussing the comprehensive usage used by most, if not all, of the 293,027,571 Americans and 32,507,874 Canadians, and then reference and link to the other article (Athletics (British usage)) which covers a limited definition used by 60,270,708 Britons? However, I do notice that the proposal derived from my question is somewhat covered in the article Sport and its related topics. But heck, if the Canadians (part of the British commonwealth) use "athletic" to describe their league for American football (which is overestimating their talents quite significantly) it does chip away at the British supremacy over the definition. —ExplorerCDT 15:58, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

• Seeing as the IAAF uses the term Athletics in the 'British' form, I claim the world population (less the US and Canada) and win with 6 089 991 293... Only kidding, however the 'British' usage is, as I understand it, more common internationaly, and should take precedence --Neo 16:14, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
  • Hence why I remain neutral, I have not seen anything saying that it is used in the rest of the world...But then, the compare the IAAF to the NCAA which covers all college sports in the United States (and some Canadian schools), makes more money and affects more athletes (AmE usage), I suppose than the IAAF. Further, the greek nouns αθλοσ (meaning a contest) and αθλετεσ (meaning contender/contestant) and the infinitive verb αθλειν (meaning to contend) does not limit its usage to track and field events (though many of the events of the original Olympic games, save wrestling, became the British Athletics and the American Track and Field). I would support this move if it was established that in general the denotations and connotations for the rest of the world (English-speaking and non-English speaking) gave added strength to the British concept and that there were some statement on the top of the Athletics page saying to the effect that "this page discusses (what would then be established as) the traditional definition, for more information on other forms of sporting and physical competition see Sport" or something on that order. (But then again, hasn't this page already been moved?) —ExplorerCDT 16:39, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)

• Oppose for the reasons ExplorerCDT gave. [[User:Vacuum|]] 21:02, Jan 29, 2005 (UTC)

• This request shouldn't even be here. Vacuum moved the page without discussion and then deliberately blocked blocked the original page. The page should be restored. No further discussion required. Jooler 23:03, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)
  • Agree. violet/riga (t) 23:13, 29 Jan 2005 (UTC)