Name That Athletics Event Quiz | Sports for Kids

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. This event is probably the most common of all events and is the fastest of all of them. The world record is under 10 seconds and many famous runners of this event include Usain Bolt and Tyson Gay. What athletics event am I talking about?

Answer: 100 metres race

The 100 metres is a very popular event which always attracts a lot of attention. In this event, you have to run as fast as you can from the start line to the finish line. In profesional races the runners usually wear spikes and use a starting block to make sure they can get the fastest possible time!

2. The next event of the day is quite a long one and can be quite boring for some people to watch but uses a lot of fitness to complete the race. The runners start in a pack. The race goes for three and 3/4 laps of an Olympic track. What athletics event am I speaking of?

Answer: 1500 metres race

This event is definitely one of the harder events of the day. It takes a lot of endurance to finish and many of the finishes are extremely tight considering how long the event is. Many of the top athletes wear middle distance spikes for this event.

3. Another event that I have seen today included an athlete running in and trying to jump over a horizontal bar and then finish up on a mat. The record for this event is over two metres and many of the athletes who do this event are very tall. What event is this?

Answer: High Jump

High jump is an event that is very challenging and hard for a beginner to pick up but if done well, is an extremely exciting event to watch. High jumpers usually have a planned run up and use one of two methods, the scissor or the flop. The world record is nearly 2.5 metres high showing how talented these elite athletes are.

4. The next event of the day is a lot like a sprint race but also involves obstacles on the track that you have to jump over. What event am I talking about?

Answer: Hurdles

The hurdles is another event that is very popular to watch as you need extreme athleticism and jumping ability to suceed in this event. The men's distance in this event is 110 metres with ten hurdles whereas the women only run 100 metres with nine hurdles. The runners usually wear spikes and use a starting block like the 100 metres, 200 metres and the 400 metres.

5. The next event that I saw involved an athlete running as fast as they could down a runway and then trying to jump as far as possible into a rectangle of sand. There is a line before the sand from behind which athletes must jump, and if they do not, then their jump is a foul and is not counted. What athletic event is this?

Answer: Long Jump

In order to do long jump, you need to have a long strip to run on and a pit of sand to jump onto. The pit is made of sand to absorb some of the impact made from jumping on a hard surface like concrete because the sand takes a lot of the pressure of the knees and back. Many famous long jumpers have the capacity to jump over 8.5 metres!

6. This next event is a field event and to do this event, you need a long pole with sharp ends so it can stick in the ground, a runway to run up on and a large area to throw the stick. What event is this?

Answer: Javelin throw

The javelin throw is an amazing sight to see; a long stick flying through the air which then sticks into the ground because of the sharp edges. The judges then mark the distance of the throw. The world record of the javelin throw is over 100 metres long which is a huge distance. Javelin can also be a dangerous event because of the sharpness of the edges and the risk that someone may get hit with the javelin which has happened before.

This is why children should not attempt this sport without parental supervision.

7. Another field event that you can see on an athletics track involves an athlete throwing a circular shaped disk as far as they can whilst staying inside the throwing circle. The throwing circle is located inside a cage. What field event is this?

Answer: Discus

In discus, the reason that the circle is put in place is to make a marking from which the athelte must throw behind. Many top discus throwers do spins inside the circle to gain the most momentum so they can throw the discus further. They also throw inside a cage with a protective barrier so that a bad throw will not fly out in a random direction and hit someone not paying attention to the event which could potentially kill someone.

8. I see a group of runners starting at the same spot and it looks like they are going to be running a long distance event on the track. The event is 3000 metres long which is 7 1/2 laps of the track. There is also a big hurdle with a puddle of water after it on the track which the runners must jump over every lap. What athletics event is this?

Answer: Steeplechase

The steeplechase is easily one of the hardest events in athletics. As well as the painful 3000 metre distance there is a huge hurdle which uses a lot of energy to jump over. There is also a puddle of water after the hurdle which can be extremely slippery to run on and makes it very easy to fall over.

This is why this event is one of the harder events which can be seen at an athletics track.

9. Another athletics event includes an athlete competing in seven different events over the course of two days. What athletic event am I talking about?

Answer: Heptathlon

The heptathlon, which includes seven events, runs over the course of two days. The first four events are competed on the first day and the final three are competed on the second day. The events are, in order:
- 100m Hurdles
- High Jump
- Shot Put
- 200m
- Long Jump
- Javelin Throw
- 800m

10. Much like the previous question, this athletics event includes ten different events which are also competed in by an individual over the course of two days. Which athletics event is this?

Answer: Decathlon

The decathlon includes ten events which are completed over the course of two days. There is an another form of the decathlon which is the one hour decathlon in which the final event must be started within an hour of the intial event being started. The ten events of the decathlon include:
- 100 metres
- Shot Put
- Long Jump
- Javelin throw
- 400 metres
- 110 metre hurdles
- Discus throw
- Pole Vault
- High Jump
- 1500 metres

Source: Author ITzJM

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor NatalieW before going online.
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Name That Athletics Event Trivia Quiz

The quiz idea is simple. I describe the athletics event and you have to name what it is! Hope you enjoy. :)

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