Athletics

– is a sport you can practise all the year round but the most important championships usually take place in summer
– it is made up of many different disciplines:
Running:
– there are two main types of runners in athletics – sprinters and distance runners.
1. sprinting – run short distances as fast as they can
– the shortest spring in outdoor athletics is 10 meters
– to be a good sprinter you need to be muscular to produce the burst of speed, and lean
2. distance running – you should be slim and have great stamina
– important is endurance – the ability to keep a steady pace over a long distance
– the longest race in athletics is marathon – participants must run a road race 42,195 km long
3. relay races – each member of the four-person team must run either 100 or 400 meters
– when the runners finishes, he must hand a baton to his teammate who then continues
4. hurdles – is another sprint, but the big differences is athletes must jump over hurdles
Jumping:
1. high jump – ideal for people who are tall and slim and with long, powerful legs
– it is very important to accelerate quickly, so short distance speed is essential
– try to make the highest jump over a bar
2. pole vault – athletes use a long pole to vault over a bar
– you should have very strong arms, be slim, and it also helps if you are a little bit crazy
3. long jump – for this discipline you need very strong legs
4. triple jump
Throwing:
– you can throw the discus, javelin, shot put (a metal ball), or hammer
– you must be muscular, have wide shoulders, be heavy (but not fat), and have strong legs
– strong arms, shoulders, and legs are needed to put power into the throw, and weight is used to add momentum
Decathlon:
– it consists of ten events – 100 me, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400m, 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, and 1500m
– Roman Šebrle