The Biggest Athletics Events in History

The Ancient Olympics

The ancient Olympics have roots going back to 776BC. They were held as an athletic competition between members of a democratic and egalitarian society, which was a stark contrast to the typical aristocratic events of the time. The ancient Olympics were held in Greece, with the majority of participants coming from the region. The games were held in honor of the Greek God Zeus, with the ancient Olympics lasting approximately 10 days and ending with a single event on the final day the stadium's longest race, the state. The ancient Olympics were a highly diverse sporting event, with athletes facing a range of disciplines such as discus, javelin, long jump, boxing, wrestling and pankration (a combination of boxing and wrestling). The ancient Olympics featured both men’s and women’s events, although there were differences in the types of disciplines featured in each. Women were excluded from boxing and pankration, which were considered too dangerous. It is also important to note that women were completely excluded from the ancient Olympics up until the late 20th century.

1924 Summer Olympics in Paris

The 1924 Summer Olympics in Paris saw the first appearance of the women’s track and field events. The women’s events were the shot put, discus, javelin and 100 meters. The women’s events were held as part of an “Intercalated Games”. This was in recognition of the fact that it was the attempt to host the first modern Olympics in 1896. At the time, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) had yet to adopt the modern Olympic Games. The IOC decided to hold the Intercalated Games in Paris in part to acknowledge the attempt to host the first modern Olympics. The women’s events were not held at the first modern Olympics, and the IOC decided to hold the women’s events at the 1924 Summer Olympics in recognition. The women’s shot put and discus was held on a smaller field than the men’s events, with a shorter throwing circle. The shorter throwing circle was in part because the women’s discus was smaller than the men’s discus. The women’s javelin was the same distance as the men’s javelin, but the women threw from the shorter throwing circle of the women’s field.

1968 Mexico City Olympics

The 1968 Mexico City Olympics were the first Olympics to be hosted in Latin America. The 1968 Summer Olympics featured several memorable athletics competitions, including the first-ever men’s and women’s Olympic marathon events. The marathon events proved to be dramatic, with Ethiopian athlete Abebe Bikila winning the first men’s Olympic Marathon. Bikila ran the entire marathon without a sports drink and remains the only athlete to win the event without one. The 1968 Summer Olympics also saw the first appearance of the women’s pentathlon event. The women’s pentathlon featured five disciplines, including the long jump, 80-metre hurdles, shot put, and two gymnastics (the floor exercise and the vault). The pentathlon event proved to be controversial, with many believing that the women’s event was too strenuous and difficult to hold at the same level as the men’s event.

2008 Beijing Olympics

The 2008 Beijing Olympics saw several unforgettable athletics events. The 2008 Olympic Games featured the debut of the first-ever women’s pole vault event. The women’s pole vault event proved to be a highly competitive event, with Italian athlete Fabiana Spennato going on to break the world record with a clearance of 4.75 meters. The 2008 Olympics also featured the first-ever women’s 10,000 meters event. The 10,000 meters event proved to be a dramatic race, with the first three athletes finishing within 15 seconds of one another. The 10,000 meters race is perhaps best known for the dramatic finish and the fact that it featured the only photo finish in the athletic competition. The 2008 Olympics also featured the first-ever women’s 400 meters hurdles event. The 400 meters hurdles proved to be a dramatic event, with American athlete Lashinda Demus winning the event. Demus won the event with a time of 52.64 seconds, but she also came close to breaking the world record with a time of 52.31 seconds.

Conclusion

When it comes to sporting events, few can match the excitement, drama and historical significance of the world’s top athletics competitions. From the first modern Olympic Games in 1896 to the emergence of track and field as a professional sport through the creation of the World Athletics Championships in 1983, these are some of the biggest athletics events in history.