Track and field is one of the most popular sporting events in the world, with people cheering on the fastest runners, most explosive jumpers and most powerful throwers in the world on a regular basis. Few people, however, know where this legendary competition began and how it grew to be as popular as it is today. The history of track and field is a long intricate one. Here is the abridged version:
Track and field prehistory and the first recorded track event
Track and field is a sporting event whose legacy began long before modern history. Archeological and literary evidence suggests that the history of track and field began as early as 2000 B.C., where they practiced various forms of gymnastics, tug of war, javelin throw, the marathon, and the high jump, in ancient Egypt. The first orchestrated track and field event ever officially recorded was in 776 B.C. in Olympia, Greece; it consisted of only a single event: the stadion (200 yard dash). This is where the pervasive lore of the track and field phenomenon began.
The expansion and development of the Greek Olympics
A few years after the first stadion, the Greeks began holding competitions that included a broader array of games. Eventually, this developed to look much like a modern track and field competition. This was known as the pentathlon, a five-event competition that included the stadion, javelin throw, high jump, discus throw and wrestling.
The Greek Olympic games were so popular that they spread to many nearby countries, including Rome, which adopted the event at around 200 B.C..
As these track and field competitions grew in popularity, the Olympic games started adopting events developed by other nations, including the shot put and hammer throw.
The birth of modern track and field
The first modern track and field events were recorded in the early 1800s. Many of them were held under fairly discrete conditions. The Royal Shrewsbury School Hunt of England, the oldest running club in the world, for example, has records of track competitions dating back to 1831.
Throughout the 1800s new track events, most notably the pole vault and high hurdles were developed. Nations across the world adopted track and field competitions; this culminated with the first Summer Olympics in 1896. Since then, the event’s popularity has been driven by international icons like Carl Lewis, Jesse Owens, Oscar Pistorius, Lolo Jones and Usain Bolt.