A brief overview of track and field events

Track and field events have gained vital importance these days, people are becoming more sports oriented because of the amount of money involved in it and it acts as an effective way to resort to fitness. Some of the track and field events involved in it are shot put, hammer throw, and discuss throw and many more. However the basics of few track and field events have been explained here:

Shot put

Shot put is a term which refers to the competition that has been held in the track and field events as well as the sport equipment that is used for these competitions. A shot put is a heavy metal ball that is made up of brass, iron, cast iron, competition iron and indoor rubber. This event is the competition between individuals that aims at throwing the ball farthest in the ring that is been drawn within the measurements. The interesting competition of shot put is held in the grand event of Olympics since the time of its inception. The shot put is available in varying sizes which is based on the level of competition. The sizes that are available are 16lbs, 12lbs, 8.8lbs for women. The weight of the shot put that is widely acceptable as per international standards is 16lbs for men and 8.8 lbs for women. The rules that have to be followed while throwing the shot put are that each and every person has to throw the shot put from within the circular area which is 7 feet in diameter. In the front you will have a 4- inch high board that runs along the circle called as a toe board. The competitor is not supposed to touch the toe board otherwise he becomes liable to be disqualified. The governing rules are quite simple, he would be allocated a minute to throw the ball once his name is called off. The start has to be made in such a way that the hand has to be rested close to their neck until the ball is released for the competition. The ball has to be landed in the respected designated areas where the ground has been marked off with the measurements in feet or meters.

Hammer throw

Another track and field event that dates back to the ancient times where only men were allowed to compete but these days it is a widely played athletic event for both men and women. The hammer throw unit includes a heavy ball and a wire. Compared to shot put, the hammer throw is a sport wherein you require a combination of strength as well as agility along with fair amount of good foot work in proper form. This is similar to golf where speed is key to distance here the speed of the hammer at the time of release will ultimately determine the length of the throw. Hammer throwers use the same weight ball as compared to shot- put with a diameter of 2.135 meters. The hammer consists of three main parts a metal head that is attached to the steel wire with a rigid handle that is been gripped by the thrower. The weight of women’s hammer is 4kgs while the men’s hammer weighs 7.26 kilos.  The players are given six trials for the hammer event. The throw that reaches the maximum length wins.