How do you compete?
Athletics track events allow you to see and enjoy the constant improvement of the participants in speed and resistance. These competitions are categorized in sprints, middle distance, long distance, hurdles and relays.
Sprints take place on each of the eight lanes that make up the 400m athletic track. They are explosive competitions, of short duration and at maximum speed. Athletes make use of starting blocks where they place their feet and allow judges to better control false moves. The starting signal is made in three voices: “on your marks”, “ready” and “go”, which usually goes with a starting shot.
The middle-distance races are longer. They are the 800 m, 1500 m dash and 3000 m with obstacles. In these tests the starting blocks are not used and the starting signal is two-voiced: “to your marks” and “start shot”.
The long-distance competitions are those of 5,000 and 10,000 m. Here resistance is key and knowing how to control the pace during the competition. In this type of race, like the middle-distance races, the starting blocks are not used and the starting signal is two-voiced: “to your marks” and “starting shot”.
Another discipline in track athletics is hurdles. They consider short distances, 100 m (women), 110 m (men) and 400 m (both genders). The start is also executed with starting blocks, and regardless of the distance, there are 10 hurdles that the athlete must overcome.
Also in the obstacle course there is the steeplechase of 3,000 m. Here, athletes must pass five obstacles positioned in specific points of the track, one of them containing water that must be overcome in each lap.
At Santiago 2023 you will also be able to see the relay races. There are two modalities, the 4 x 100 m and the 4 x 400 m dash. In each of them, four athletes from the same team compete and each athlete must complete the distance before passing the baton to the next competitor.
The baton is a lightweight metal bar that each athlete must carry at all times. The baton is passed on to the next member within an area established for this purpose. If the exchange takes place outside the limits of this zone, the team is disqualified.
More
Less
