Many consider Track and Field the ultimate expression of human athleticism. It displays strength, speed, agility, and technique, all through a wide variety of events ranging from jumping and sprinting to throwing. Here’s what the origin of these famed events are, and how they became the sports they are today!
Track and field has existed since the beginning of the Olympics in Athens, Greece in 776 B.C.; however, it eventually spread to Rome, and dispersed globally in the modern day, first gaining major popularity in the 1860s, as in 1866 the first championship of English track and field was held. In this tourney, the participants were not paid for taking part in the events. The modern Olympics were incorporated in1896, and have since remained the same.
Starting with throwing, the events include shot put, javelin, hammer, and discus. Shot put on the Olympic level is done with a 16 pound shot for men and an 8.8 pound shot for women. It involves tucking the weight under or on your neck with varying techniques such as the spin, and using the momentum created to throw the shot as far as possible. Current world records include Ryan Crouser 23.56 meters and Natalya Lisovskaya 22.63 meters. It originates from an ancient Irish tradition of throwing weighted stones as a part of festivals, rituals, and military practices. Discus originates directly from Greece, being mentioned in Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey, originally being of varying materials and weights such as bronze, whereas in modern day their composition has become more standardized at 4.4 pounds and a 22 CM diameter for men and 2.2 pounds and an 18 CM diameter for women. World records include 75.56m (Mykolas Alekna, 2025) for men and 76.80m (Gabriele Reinsch, 1988) for women. Discus follows a similar form and technique to shot put; however it involves cradling the disc in one hand as you swing back (Akin to the famed Grecian and Roman marble statues) rather than tucking it under your chin, using centripetal force to keep it tightly held.
Other track and field events include sprinting and jumping. Sprinting includes events like the 100 meter, 400 meter, 1600 meter, and on, including relay variants of most events in which a team of multiple athletes hand off a baton between each other, competing against other groups (of course to run the course with the fastest times). Other variations include hurdle variants in which runners run the same courses but do so while jumping over hurdles as they run. Jumping includes horizontal jumps, like long jump and triple jump, where athletes attempt to jump as far out into a pit of sand as possible with either a running or hopping start. High jump involves trying to leap as high as possible over a bar without touching it (with a running start) while pole vault involves the same but with a pole being used to create leverage, flinging the athlete up into the air. Most of these events have more simplistic origins of simply displaying athleticism in ancient society to gain honor or respect the deities of Grecian or Roman pantheons.
With the wide variety of events that exist in track and field, it’s hard for there to not be an event of interest for someone, but even if that’s not enough, there’s always the plethora of other sports of the Olympics including rock climbing, basketball, and soon, flag football! So when the 2028 LA Summer Olympics happen, make sure to tune into some track and field, and now you’ll understand the meanings and reasons that drive athletes to do things like throw spears and weighted rocks, or jump over sand pits, which from an outside view might seem a bit strange.
By Kallen Cooyar, SRVHS Student