Athletics (Track)

ENGLISH FOR THE GAMES Athletics (track)

This article is part of a series produced by the British Council to help you learn English and learn about different Olympic and Paralympic sports. Find out more about the different running races at the Olympics.

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

Sprint Why do you think the running Why so many? So if you’re really good you races at the Olympics are Well, there are sprints, middle and get given a nickname, right? so popular? long-distance races, hurdles and It seems so! And speaking of which, Maybe because it’s so natural – steeplechase, and relays. did you hear about the great Ethiopian everyone does it. runner Kenenisa Bekele – the current Can you explain all those names? 5,000 and 10,000 metre champion? I don’t! Or at least, not if I The sprints are the short races. He’s known as the ‘Ethiopian Lion’ can help it! Middle-distance means the 800 and and he was once chased by a lion Well, most of us do. People have been 1,500 metres, and long-distance is the while he was training! running in races for a long time. At the 5,000 and 10,000 metre races. In the Ancient Olympic Games the ‘stadion hurdles and steeplechase they jump Really? I think even I’d run in race’, where the athletes ran from one over obstacles. The relays are team that situation! end of the stadium to the other, was events where they have to pass a one of the most important events. stick, or baton, from one person to the next. I see. What about at the modern Olympics – there are lots of OK. Can you tell me about some different races, aren’t there? famous runners at the Olympics? That’s right. There are twelve races How about Paavo Nurmi, the ‘Flying for both men and women, from Finn’? He won nine gold medals from 100 metres to 10,000 metres. 1920 to 1928. Or Emil Zatopek, the ‘Czech Locomotive’? He won the Lane 5,000 and 10,000 metre races in Starting block 1952 and then the marathon as well!

ACTIVITY RULES FOR ATHLETICS TRACK WORDSEARCH Decide if the following statements about the text Athletics – track events – rules are true or false. The rules of athletics track events are simple: OOJ S TAR T ER the athlete who crosses the line first is the winner. True False JBRYWKLJOY In addition, there are rules for starting, running 1. The first speaker and finishing. FLTDHNGPFC likes running. Starting In the longer races (1,500 metres to 10,000 metres) THURDLEURN 2. The stadion was a the athletes do not begin running in lanes and the long-distance race. start line is curved. This means that all athletes begin PLANEDYRNU the same distance from the finish. 3. The 400 metres race CBQSPORERT is a sprint. When an athlete is getting ready to run in an event like the 100 or 200 metres sprint, they bend down and SPRINTPTER 4. The speaker groups touch the track with their hands in the ‘set position’. track events into After taking the set position, the athlete must wait ATHLETEFLA five different types. for the starter’s gun to be fired. If the athlete starts before the gun, it is a false start and the athlete will EANTYUSRAC 5. Paavo Nurmi, Emil Zatopek be disqualified. and Kenenisa Bekele were BATONACBYK Running the race all middle-distance runners. In all races run in lanes, each athlete must keep inside his lane at all times, or be disqualified. 6. All long-distance runners Find these words in the grid are given nicknames. An athlete who obstructs another athlete in a way that affects his progress is disqualified. lane baton sprint relay The finish track starter An athlete finishes the race when any part of his torso athlete gun reaches the finish line. ‘Torso’ means chest or stomach hurdle

but not head, neck, arms, legs, hands or feet.

6. False 6.

1. False; 2. False; 3. True; 4. True; 5. False; False; 5. True; 4. True; 3. False; 2. False; 1. Answers