VOCABULARY | Athletics - Track and Field

Tweet

---

Athletics or Track and Field, as it sometimes called has a lot of equipment and therefore its own special vocabulary. Here it is a list of events and some key terms:

Discus: The discus is thrown and the winner is the athlete  who can throw it the furthest.

Javelin: The javelin is hurled.

Shot put: Likewise the shot put is hurled or heaved.

Hammer: The hammer, diferent from the tool we use to bang in nails, is thrown and the event is called the hammer throw.

High Jump: Athletes see how high they can jump.

Long Jump: Athletes see how far they can jump, not how long. We call it the long jump because the distance is (hopefully) long. There is also the triple jump where they jump 3 times before their final leap.

Pole Vault: The pole is what we call the big long stick and the bar is the mark at the top that they must jump over or clear to win.

Relay Race: Two teams compete when each individual runner runs a part of the race. Each runner passes the baton or gives the stick to the next runner after completing his or her part.

Hurdles: Runners jump over barriers or hurdles as they run.

Foto: Laura Ngo (CC BY 2.0)