Today, we follow many sports, from football to tennis, and even esports. The latter is becoming more and more popular as the years go by, which is why regular sports should be given even more attention. Sports is something that is always interesting to people, and that’s why many sports fans use Virgin Bet offers while watching their favorite sports team play. But what about athletics? Does it have enough attention as it deserves?

Not many people know what athletics includes or what it means, but many do know what an athlete is. An athlete can be anybody doing any sports, but athletics is a group of sports that consists of running, jumping, walking and throwing.

Running Disciplines

Some of the most popular athletics disciplines are the running ones, namely 100 meter sprint, 200 meter sprint, as well as 1000 meter and above. 400 meter relay races are popular. These are all short to medium distance races.

Long distance races include half marathons and marathons, meaning 21 kilometers and 42 kilometers.

There is such a thing as an ultramarathon, meaning longer than a marathon, often exceeding 100 kilometers in distance.

Many of the mentioned disciplines are Olympic disciplines.

Jumping Disciplines

Jumping is very popular at the Olympic Games. A long jump, triple jump or high jump and pole vault, all four are pretty interesting to watch. Some of the techniques used for triple jumping are frequently used in parkour, where precision is more crucial, rather than distance.

The four mentioned disciplines are present at the Olympic games and, while not as popular as the running ones, are still very interesting to watch. Pole vaulting is always an amazing sight to see, with athletes soaring high in the air.

Throwing Disciplines

There are plenty of objects to throw, but in athletics, the discus, shot, javelin and hammer are the ones to look out for. Each of the four disciplines has its own special technique, albeit some are interchangeable to an extent. 

Take note of how throwing athletes are built, often differently from jumping and running athletes, with their upper body being much stronger, to accommodate the muscle mass needed for successfully and safely throwing each of the objects.

Walking Disciplines

Walking is in itself a special sport, often called racewalking. The technique for this sport is much different than running. At all times, one foot must be touching the surface, meaning that racers adopt very entertaining ways of moving so that they can maximize their speed. 

Racewalking is an Olympic sport, where distances of 20 and 50 kilometers are contested. Being a relatively slow sport, it is not as entertaining as the 100 meter sprint.

Summary – Track and Field

The running and walking disciplines are considered track disciplines, whether short, middle or long distance, or with hurdles. On the other hand, field events are jumping and throwing events.

This is why you will frequently find athletics being called track and field. Yet, being an athlete can surpass and should surpass any disciplines listed here. An athlete should be adaptable and able to participate in all sorts of sports, from climbing, swimming, running, jumping and many more.