Track and field has long been a sport participated in by the best athletes. During the ancient Olympic games, track events where the only sports played at the festivities. Although techniques, uniforms and athletes have changed, the basis of most track and field events have remained the same over thousands of years.
Foot Races
Foot races where the only event at the first Greek Olympic games. While this changed quickly, the sport's place in history was etched in stone. The modern Olympics continued the tradition of foot races but added more distance and races, including the marathon. The original marathon was 24.8 miles in length, but during the 1908 Olympics in England, the distance was changed to that of the distance from Windsor Castle to the stadium. Another 385 yards was added to the marathon distance to allow the race to stop in front of the royal's stadium box. The first collegiate foot race took place in England between Oxford University and Cambridge University.
Shot Put
The shot put, another sport that found its way into the ancient Olympics, dates back thousands of years to such places as Greece, Scotland and the British Isles. The shot was originally made of stone balls and athletes stood still before launching it through the air. In 1896, the shot put was included in the modern Olympic games. It was 1948 before women's shot put was added although women where allowed to participate in Olympic contests as early as 1928.
Javelin Throw
Javelin throwing has a long history beginning with Hercules in Greek mythology. According to the mythology Hercules was the first athlete to throw the Javelin. The javelin throw was included in the 708 B.C. Olympic games as one of the various track and field events. In 1780, the sport of javelin throwing had its first significant revision. The javelin's weight was doubled and lengthened. Manufacturers went from using olive wood to hickory wood. This javelin would continue to be used until 1953 at which time the current javelin was introduced.
Long Jump
Long jump was part of the pentathlon in ancient Greece's Olympic games. During the ancient games, jumpers would hold weights and swing them during their jumps to increase the distance of their jump. While concrete evidence has not been found, texts show that jumpers would jump more than 50 feet on a regular basis using these weights. The long jump was included in the first modern Olympic games, and women's long jump was included the first year that women where allowed to compete in the Games.
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