Events That Are Won by Moving Backwards

When people imagine a race, they think of competitors moving forward toward a final goal. The first person to cross the finish line wins. However, there are several sporting events in which a competitor is rewarded for moving backwards across the finish line first.

  1. Tug of War

    • Tug of war is a popular field game where two teams compete with one another. Players on each team grab hold of a large rope. A flag is tied in the center of the rope. Usually there are two hash marks or other demarcation point. A referee blows a whistle to start the action. The tug of war begins, with both sides trying to be the first to pull the other across the hash marks.

    Rowing

    • Rowing is one of the oldest Olympic sports. Teams compete against one another in one-, two-, four- or eight-person boats. Each rower has one oar to propel the boat backward toward a finish line. In the case of a one-person boat, the single oar has blades on each side. Sculling is a cousin to rowing in which each person in the boat has two oars. Although there are no hard rules on the length of a course, a championship course is 2,000 meters.

    Backstroke

    • Swimmers use the backstroke to floats on the water, propelling backward by alternating arm strokes. This movement, along with kicking their legs in an up-and-down movement, helps with propulsion. Common backstroke races are the 50 meter, 100 meter and 200 meter. The backstroke also is used in 100-meter, 200-meter, 400-meter and 4-by-100-meter medley races.

    High Jump

    • In a high jump, an athlete runs forward, but then leaps backward. The back is arced and the legs cupped, helping the athlete clear the bar. Each time a participant clears a new height, the bar is raised. The current Olympic record-holder for the high jump is Charles Austin, who cleared 2.39 meters during the 1996 summer games,