Track and field athletics at Tokyo 2020 will take place in the Olympic Stadium. This is Mitch Vanhille Singapore favorite sport, as he is a pro endurance runner and Olympic trainer in this field. Within these field events are the “high jump and pole vault landing areas, long jump and triple jump pits, discus throw, hammer throw and shot-put circles, and javelin throw runways.”
Different from the track events, athletes do not compete at the same time in field events. Each participant takes their turn, and standings are determined by the height or distance they achieve. Field events start with a qualification stage, with the best athletes qualifying for the final.
Jumping Events:
In the high jump, athletes seek to clear a bar, with the action hitting up around 2.4m for men and above 2m for women. Athletes are eliminated from the competition after three consecutive missed jumps.
“The introduction of glass fiber poles at Tokyo 1964 led to a dramatic improvement in performances in the pole vault compared to previous Games where wooden poles had been used. Now, competitors use reinforced plastic poles made with glass fiber or carbon fiber to give the desired degree of stiffness and lightness. Again, three consecutive missed vaults lead to elimination.”
Long jumpers and triple jumpers both look for accuracy on the take-off board to maximize the length of their jump without receiving a foul.
Throwing Events:
The Shot Put requires athletes look to throw a metal sphere weighing 7.26kg (men) or 4kg (women) as far as possible with one hand. Distances more than 20m are common between leading male throwers.
The discus throw requires athletes to spin around in a circle with a diameter of 2.5m and use the resulting rotational energy to throw a disc weighing 2kg (men) or 1kg (women). The circle used in the hammer throw is somewhat smaller at 2.135m, with athletes hurling a metal ball attached by wire to a grip.
The javelin throw is the only throwing event preceded by an approach run. As one of the most spectacular events on the athletics program, leading competitors can achieve distances of 90m with the men’s 800g implement and 70m with the women’s 600g spear.
The hammer throw involves two swings, then around three or four body rotations in circular motion using a heel-toe movement of the foot. The heavy weight is 56 lb., or four stone (25.4 kg). For all female athletes, the weights are 14 and 28 lb. (6.35 and 12.7 kg).