Competition Format
In Delhi 2010 there were a total of 52 gold medals contested in athletics at the 2010 Commonwealth Games including six Para-Sports events.
Track Events
Running events are divided into sprints, middle-distance races, long-distance races, road events, hurdle races and relays.
Sprint
100m, 100m (M T46 & W T37), 200m, 400m
Middle-Distance
800m, 1500m (T54 M & W)
Endurance Races
5000m, 10,000m
Hurdle Races
100m (W), 110m (M), 400m
All three races consist of 10 Hurdles with the Women's (100m) Hurdles being 84cm and the Men's (110m) Hurdles being 106.7cm. In the 400m Hurdles the height is men 91.4cm and Women 76.2cm.
3000m Steeplechase
This event is a seven and a half lap race, with each lap involving jumping four hurdles of 91.4cm height and an artificial water hazard. Women's barrier height is 76.2cm.
Relays
4x100m and 4x400m Relays
Relay teams have four runners who each cover a quarter of the distance before handing over the baton to the next runner. Changeovers have special rules and techniques and must be made within a specified area.
Jumping Events
Long Jump/Triple Jump
During the final of these events all competitors will be given three trials with the top eight then being given a further three trials.
High Jump
The athlete is excluded from the contest after three successive failed attempts, at any height.
Pole Vault
Competitors of the pole vault use a long, flexible pole to make their vault and clear a high bar. Athletes are excluded from the competition after three consecutive failures, regardless of the height that any such failure occurs.
Throwing Events
Shot/Discus/Javelin/Hammer
During the final of these events all competitors will be given three trials with the top eight competitors then being given a further three trials.
Shot Put
The shot, a metal ball, is thrown from a cement throwing circle of 2.13m diameter. The men’s shot weighs 7.26kg and the women’s shot weighs 4kg.
In the shot put there was also a Para-Sport competition for men F32/34/52 and women F32-34/52/53.
Discus
The body of the discus is made of wood or other suitable material with a metal rim, the edge of which is circular. The discus is thrown from a concrete throwing circle of 2.5 diameter. To avoid risk to other competitors and the spectators the circle is surrounded in a U-shape by a netting cage to a height of at least 7m. The men’s disc weighs 2kg and the women’s weighs 1kg.
Javelin
The javelin is carried along a runway 30 to 36.5m long and 4m wide, at the end of which there is an arc-shaped line to define the throwing line. The men’s javelin weighs 800g and the women’s weighs 600g.
Hammer
Hammer-throwing can be traced to Scotland. However, the heavy hammer with a long wooden handle has been replaced by an iron ball on the end of a metal wire. The hammer is thrown from a concrete throwing circle of 2.13m in diameter. As in the discus, spectators are protected by a netting cage. The men’s hammer weighs 7.26kg and the women’s weighs 4kg.
Combined Events
Decathlon
The decathlon consists of ten individual events for men and the competition takes place over two consecutive days.
Day 1 - 100m, long jump, shot putt, high jump, 400m
Day 2 - 110m hurdles, discus, pole vault, javelin, 1500m
An athlete receives scores for each of the events. The winner is the competitor scoring the highest total of points.
Heptathlon
The heptathlon is the women’s version of the decathlon and covers seven events in the following order over two days:
Day 1 - 100m hurdles, high jump, shot putt, 200m
Day 2 - long jump, javelin, 800m
The winner is determined in the same way as the decathlon.
Road Events
Marathon
The marathon distance is 42.195km.
20km Road Walk
The road walk is a distance of 20km.