We explain what the history of athletics is like, its origin and its development until today. In addition, the track tests that make it up.
What is the history of athletics?
The history of Athletics it is long, since it is one of the oldest sports disciplines in the world, involving different executions, such as running, jumping, throwing and other combined events. Many of them were practiced separately, for sporting or practical purposes, from the very beginning of the humanity.
The very name of this sport reveals much about its origin: the Greek word athletes means "who competes for a prize", and comes from aethlos, "Fight" or "combat", as well as athlon, name that received the loot or reward (generally amphorae) that were given to the most outstanding combatants in some archaic game contest, and that they used to be buried with them.
The first reference to athletics as a sport comes from 776 BC. C., from a list of competitors of the ancient Greece. At that time it was limited to a 197.27 meter long pedestrian race, known as stadion, supposedly equivalent to 200 times the foot of the mythical hero Heracles (Hercules).
Later the double arose stadion (or dualic), the middle distance race (or equestrian), and the long-distance race (or dollar). In addition, in Olympic Games from Ancient Greece at the end of the 8th century BC. The pentathlon arose, the discipline that combined the race, the jump, the launching and the fight.
The Roman culture also practiced athletics, under a form similar to the Greek and another more similar to its Etruscan heritage. Thus, they incorporated new practices into this sport. For example, they added the pole vault, the hammer throw and the cross country.
Many of them continued to be practiced during the Middle Ages, according to the particular forms of each European Christian kingdom, highlighting among them England and Denmark. Some new disciplines had an extremely useful military component, such as archery, while others were frowned upon, especially during Puritanism, as they often ended in fights and drunkenness.
Another of the oldest races of the Europe Medieval era was the one held in Rome in the middle of the 15th century, reproducing Greek athletes and making athletes compete completely naked, just as in Antiquity.
In 1825 the first meeting of modern athletics was held near the English capital. Towards the end of the century, the English vision of sport as a social element was spreading throughout Europe.
Thus began the union of athletic societies in France, the United States, Belgium, and Germany. The first official championship was held in the latter in 1891. This organized emergence of athletics in Europe was key to reviving the Olympic Games.
Although since the beginning of the 20th century the professional practice of this sport was almost exclusive to Western Europe and the United States, from 1930 African-American athletes, as well as other Europeans from the colonies, stood out in competitions.
After the WWII, the communist nations of the Eastern bloc actively participated in the competitions, as a way of reaffirming their presence and power. Around 1970 the nations Caribbean, as well as African countries in 1980, as the world reality, together with that of this sport, became more and more globalized.
Athletics track events
Athletics is made up of track events, which are exercises carried out under controlled conditions, in which athletes can test themselves according to different physical and mental criteria. The most common of track events are:
- Foot races. Consisting, obviously, of a sprint race and / or endurance On flat and narrow terrain, it can be of many types: sprint race, cross-country race, cross-country race, hurdles or relay race.
- Athletic gait. Of British invention, it consists of a displacement during which at least one foot must always be in contact with the I usuallySo it doesn't involve running or jogging, but walking 20 to 50 kilometers.
- Jumps. As the name implies, athletes in this set of events are expected to jump, either aided by a long, flexible pole (pole vault), at the end of a short run (pole vault). length) or over a barrier (high jump).
- Releases. Again, its name indicates it all: it is about throwing objects (usually a javelin, a ball or a hammer) using the force full body, taking or not taking an impulse run. Whoever gets the farthest his thrown object will win.
- Decathlon. In this category, athletes undergo ten different tests in a row, which are carried out over two days, in a continuous and organized manner. Its female version, consisting of seven tests instead of ten, is known as heptathlon.