Paris Olympics: everything to know about track and field events
Orri Benatar
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The age old questions that started sports were: Who is the fastest? Who is the strongest? Who can jump the highest?
Those basic questions are answered every four years during the Olympic track and field competitions, the centerpiece sport of the Games.
The athletics competitions will take place during the second week of the Paris Olympics as the world’s best chase for gold, silver, and bronze across 48 events. Here is what to know about track and field for the Paris Olympics.
For the first time in over 20 years, Team USA comes into an Olympics with arguably the fastest man and woman on the planet. An American man has not won the 100 or 200 since 2004, and world champion Noah Lyles is the favorite to pull off the double. His toughest competitor on the purple track of the Stade de France will be Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson.
World champion Sha’Carri Richardson is the favorite to become the first American woman to win the 100 dash since Gail Devers in 1996 (after Marion Jones’ 2000 triumph in Sydney was vacated). USA’s Gabrielle Thomas and Pickerington native McKenzie Long will look to defeat the favorite, Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson, in the 200.
Grant Holloway will be looking to bring Team USA gold in the 110 hurdles, and Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn will aim to repeat in the 100 hurdles. And while historically, the United States has been the most dominant nation in the sprint relay, the men haven’t won since 2000 while the women look to reclaim the top of the podium for the first time since Rio 2016.
EUGENE, OREGON – JUNE 29: Gold medalist Noah Lyles poses with a miniature Eiffel Tower after winning the men’s 200 meter final on Day Nine of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field on June 29, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
Jamaica’s Kishane Thompson (L) competes to win ahead of Botswana’s Letsile Tebogo during the men’s 100 metres competition of the Gyulai Istvan Memorial World Athletics Continental Tour Gold Meeting at the Athletic Center of Szekesfehervar, Hungary on July 9, 2024. (Photo by Attila KISBENEDEK / AFP) (Photo by ATTILA KISBENEDEK/AFP via Getty Images)
EUGENE, OREGON – JUNE 22: Sha’Carri Richardson crosses the finish line of the women’s 100 meter semi-final on Day Two of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field on June 22, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Jamaica’s Shericka Jackson celebrates after winning the women’s 200m final during the Diamond League athletics meeting at Stadion Letzigrund stadium in Zurich on August 31, 2023. (Photo by Fabrice COFFRINI / AFP) (Photo by FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP via Getty Images)
EUGENE, OREGON – JUNE 29: Bronze medalist McKenzie Long and gold medalist Gabby Thomas pose with their medals after competing in the women’s 200 meter final on Day Nine of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field on June 29, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OREGON – JUNE 28: Grant Holloway reacts after winning the men’s 110 meter hurdles final on Day Eight of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field on June 28, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
BELLINZONA, SWITZERLAND – SEPTEMBER 04: Jasmine Camacho-Quinn of Puerto Rico celebrates in the women’s 100m hurdles during the Gala dei Castelli at the Comunale Stadium on September 04, 2023 in Bellinzona, Switzerland. (Photo by Pier Marco Tacca/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 6: Team USA – Jenna Prandini, Javianne Oliver, Teahna Daniels, Gabrielle Thomas – celebrates winning the Gold Medal of the Women’s 4 x 100m Relay Final on day fourteen of the athletics events of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 6, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
The 400 hurdles will be a feature event among the middle distance races. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone seems destined for another gold and another world record at 23 years old. On the men’s side, defending Olympic champion Karsten Warholm and America’s Rai Benjamin will offer another epic race like they had in Tokyo.
In the 400m, the Bahamas are hoping for another gold medal sweep from Steven Gardiner and two-time winner Shaunae Miller-Uibo. The 800 field is wide open, particularly on the women’s side with reigning gold medalist Athing Mu missing out after falling during the U.S. Trials.
The 1,500m favorites are Norway’s Jacob Ingebrigtsen, along with two-time defending women’s champion Faith Kipyegon from Kenya. The 4x400m relays will have star U.S. teams hoping to defend Tokyo golds.
Bahamas’s Steven Gardiner crosses the finish line in the men’s 400m final race during the IAAF Diamond League competition on May 10, 2024 at the Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium in the Qatari capital Doha. (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR / AFP) (Photo by KARIM JAAFAR/AFP via Getty Images)
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY: August 20: Shaunae Miller-Uibo of the Bahamas in action in the Women’s 400m heat three during the World Athletics Championships, at the National Athletics Centre on August 20th, 2023, in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
EUGENE, OREGON – JUNE 30: Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone competes in the women’s 400 meter hurdles final on Day Ten of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field on June 30, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 03: Karsten Warholm of Team Norway ran a new world and Olympic record of 45.94 seconds in the mens 400m hurdles during the Athletics event on Day 11 of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium on August 03, 2021 Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Roger Sedres/Gallo Images)
MONACO, MONACO – JULY 12: Jakob Ingebrigtsen of Norway poses for a photo next to the LED board showing his World leading time after victory in the Mens 1500m final during the 2024 Diamond League – Herculis at Stade Louis II on July 12, 2024 in Monaco, Monaco. (Photo by Francesco Scaccianoce/Getty Images)
PARIS, FRANCE – JULY 07: Faith Kipyegon of Kenya reacts after winning the 1500m Women during the Paris 2024 Diamond League at Stade Charlety on July 07, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Aurelien Meunier/Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 07: (L-R) Michael Norman, Michael Cherry, Bryce Deadmon and Rai Benjamin of Team United States celebrate after winning the gold medal in the Men’s 4 x 400m Relay Final on day fifteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 07, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
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Long distance
Events: 5000m, 10,000m, steeplechase, marathon, 20km walk, mixed walk relay
Multiple long distance runners can make Olympic history in France. Uganda’s Joshua Cheptegei is hoping to win the 5,000 and 10,000, and Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands tries to pull off that double in a second straight Olympics.
The 3000m steeplechase offers a slight twist to the usual track events as athletes will hurdle barriers, with some having puddles on the other side. The Olympic marathons will be ones to watch as Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge aims to become the first triple marathon winner. On the women’s side, Fiona O’Keeffe stars for Team USA after winning the Olympic trials, which was her first marathon she ran.
The other long distance events are in race walking. The men and women will each have a 20-kilometer race. The marathon walking mixed relay will debut, where two males and two females will alternate to cover 26.2 miles.
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY: August 20: Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda celebrates after winning the Men’s 10,000m Final during the World Athletics Championships, at the National Athletics Centre on August 20th, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
Netherlands’ silver medallist Sifan Hassan celebrates with her national flag after the women’s 5000m final during the World Athletics Championships at the National Athletics Centre in Budapest on August 26, 2023. (Photo by Jewel SAMAD / AFP) (Photo by JEWEL SAMAD/AFP via Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN August 4: Zerfe Wondemagegn of Ethiopia, Elizabeth Bird of Great Britain and Genevieve Lalonde of Canada in action as they navigate the water jump in the 3000m Steeplechase for women at the Olympic Stadium during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games on August 4th, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
File photo taken on Sept. 25, 2022 shows Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya celebrates after the Berlin Marathon 2022 in Berlin, Germany. On September 25, Kenya’s two-time Olympic champion Eliud Kipchoge clocked two hours, one minute and nine seconds to win the 2022 Berlin Marathon, beating his own world record set in 2018 by 30 seconds. (Photo by Ren Pengfei/Xinhua via Getty Images)
ORLANDO, FLORIDA – FEBRUARY 03: (L-R) Emily Sisson, Fiona O’Keeffe, and Dakotah Lindwurm celebrate after placing second, first, and third during the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Marathon on February 03, 2024 in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
Yang Jiayu 2nd R of China competes during the women’s 20km race walk final at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan, Aug. 6, 2021. (Photo by Ju Huanzong/Xinhua via Getty Images)
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Jumping events
Events: High jump, long jump, triple jump, pole vault
The four jumping events bring us stars from across the globe. Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh made history a few weeks ago in Paris by setting a new high jump world record of 6 feet 10 1/2.
In the men’s high jump, Italy’s Gianmarco Tamberi and Qatar’s Mutaz Essa Barshim decided to share gold in Tokyo. Will the same happen in Paris? In the long jump, Portugal’s Pedro Pichardo looks to defend his gold from Tokyo while America’s Tara Davis-Woodhall hopes to continue a USA medal streak in the event.
The women’s triple jump will not feature world record holder and Tokyo winner Yulimar Rojas of Venezuela. Pole vault will be headlined by world record holder Mondo Duplantis of Sweden for the men, while Lakewood, Ohio native Katie Moon hopes to defend her Olympic title.
Ukraine’s Yaroslava Mahuchikh poses after beating the world record in the women’s high jump event during the “Meeting de Paris” Diamond League athletics meeting at the Charlety Stadium in Paris on July 7, 2024. (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT / AFP) (Photo by GEOFFROY VAN DER HASSELT/AFP via Getty Images)
Gold medalists Mutaz Essa Barshim R of Qatar and Gianmarco Tamberi of Italy pose for a photo during the awarding ceremony of the men’s high jump at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 2, 2021. (Photo by Li Yibo/Xinhua via Getty Images)
EUGENE, OREGON – JUNE 29: Tara Davis-Woodhall reacts with the gold medal after winning the women’s long jump final on Day Nine of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field on June 29, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
ISTANBUL, TURKIYE – MARCH 03: Pedro Pichardo of Portugal competes in men’s triple jump at the European Athletics Indoor Championships 2023 in Istanbul, Turkiye on March 03, 2023. (Photo by Ali Atmaca/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Sweden’s Olympic champion and world record holder Armand Duplantis competes during the Mondo Classic pole vault competition in gala format at the IFU Arena in Uppsala on February 2, 2023. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY: August 23: Katie Moon of the United States in action during her joint gold medal in the Women’s Pole Vault Final at the World Athletics Championships, at the National Athletics Centre on August 23rd, 2023 in Budapest, Hungary. (Photo by Tim Clayton/Corbis via Getty Images)
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Throwing events
Events: Shot put, discus, hammer, javelin
Team USA has multiple gold medal favorites in the throwing events. Ryan Crouser (first) and Dublin resident Joe Kovacs (second) have stood together on the last two Olympic shot put podiums and are favored in Paris, and two-time world champion Chase Jackson enters her first Olympics.
Delaware’s Valarie Allman will try to win her second straight discus gold medal, and Missouri’s DeAnna Price hopes to win her first Olympic medal in the hammer throw. For the javelin throw, the one to watch will be India’s Neeraj Chopra, whose historic gold in Tokyo made him a superstar in the country.
EUGENE, OREGON – JUNE 22: Ryan Crouser competes in the men’s shot put final on Day Two of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field on June 22, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – MAY 18: Joe Kovacs of the United States competes in the men’s shot put during the 2024 USATF Los Angeles Grand Prix at UCLA’s Drake Stadium on May 18, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)
HENGELO, NETHERLANDS – JULY 7: Chase Jackson of the United States of America competes in the Women’s Shot Put during the FBK Games 2024 at the FBK Stadion on July 7, 2024 in Hengelo, Netherlands. (Photo by Rene Nijhuis/MB Media/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OREGON – JUNE 27: Valarie Allman competes in the women’s discus throw final on Day Seven of the 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Track & Field Trials at Hayward Field on June 27, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)
EUGENE, OREGON – JUNE 23: DeAnna Price competes in the women’s hammer throw final on Day Three 2024 U.S. Olympic Team Trials Track & Field at Hayward Field on June 23, 2024 in Eugene, Oregon. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
Neeraj Chopra of India is competing in the men's javelin throw final at the Doha Diamond League meeting at Suheim Bin Hamad Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on May 10, 2024. (Photo by Noushad Thekkayil/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
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Decathlon and Heptathlon
The decathlon and heptathlon determine who the greatest athletes on the planet are.
Canada’s Damian Warner enters Paris as the reigning decathlete gold medalist. Decathletes compete in 10 events over two days. The events include the 100, long jump, shot put, high jump, 400, 100 hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin and 1500.
The women compete in the heptathlon, seven events over two days with the 100 hurdles, high jump, shot put, 200, long jump, javelin, and 800. Belgium’s Nafissatou Thiam won gold in Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo and can become the first man or woman to win three golds in either the heptathlon or decathlon.
Canada’s Damian Warner competes in the men’s decathlon 100m during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 4, 2021. (Photo by Ina FASSBENDER / AFP) (Photo by INA FASSBENDER/AFP via Getty Images)
Damian Warner of Canada competes during the Men’s Decathlon Shot Put at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 4, 2021. (Photo by Li Yibo/Xinhua via Getty Images)
Canada’s Damian Warner competes in the men’s decathlon pole vault during the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Tokyo on August 5, 2021. (Photo by Jonathan NACKSTRAND / AFP) (Photo by JONATHAN NACKSTRAND/AFP via Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 05: Damian Warner of Team Canada competes in the Men’s Decathlon 1500m on day thirteen of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 05, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Cameron Spencer/Getty Images)
Nafissatou Thiam L of Belgium competes during the women’s heptathlon 100m hurdles heats at Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, in Tokyo, Japan, Aug. 4, 2021. (Photo by Li Yibo/Xinhua via Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 04 : Thiam Nafissatou (Bel) Athletics Heptathlon (Female) in action during the high jump of the heptathlon pictured during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games on August 4, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, 04/08/2021 ( Photo by Vincent Kalut / Photonews via Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 05 : Thiam Nafissatou (Bel) Athletics Heptathlon (Female) in action during the javelin throw event of the heptathlon pictured during the Tokyo 2020 Summer Olympic Games on August 5, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, 05/08/2021 ( Photo by Vincent Kalut / Photonews via Getty Images)
TOKYO, JAPAN – AUGUST 6: Gold Medalist Nafissatou Thiam of Belgium during the medal ceremony of the Women’s Heptathlon Final on day fourteen of the athletics events of the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games at Olympic Stadium on August 6, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. (Photo by Jean Catuffe/Getty Images)
