The Most Exciting Track & Field Events

Track and field events create drama and excitement in different ways. Sometimes, it's the competition between determined individuals who were the leading runners of their generation -- Sebastian Coe and Steve Ovett in the 800 meters during the 1970s, or Haile Gebrselassie and Paul Tergat in the 10,000 meters during the late 1990s. It could be the sheer technical brilliance of a field event competitor -- Dick Fosbury with the Fosbury Flop that transformed the high jump -- or Bob Beamon putting the world long jump record beyond reach for more than 20 years. Excitement takes many forms as Sebastian Coe's book, "The Olympians," shows.

  1. Head-to-Head

    • Every four years, the Olympics bring together the world's greatest athletes. For many, it's their one chance to win the ultimate recognition -- an Olympic gold medal. When Coe and Steve came together in the final of the 800 meters at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, both were world leaders and favorites in their respective events -- Coe in the 800 and Ovett in the 1,500. Coe's tactical blunder, which cost him the 800-meter gold medal, could have spelled disaster, but he raised the excitement stakes again to snatch the 1,500-meter title through sheer determination and will to win.

    Tension

    • The 100-meter final at any championship brings a different kind of excitement. The crowd can sense the atmosphere building as competitors prowl around, playing mind games before the start. The nervous tension on the starting line spreads through the crowd. Runners twitch and trigger the false-start mechanism. One more false start puts them out of the race. Less than 10 seconds later, it's all over.

    Endurance

    • When great rivals meet in a long-distance event like the 10,000 meters, the excitement builds during the 26 or more minutes. Athletes from Ethiopia and Kenya take turns leading the world distance rankings and the rivalries are personal and national. The 2000 Sydney Olympics saw Ethiopia's Haile Gebrselassie and Kenyan Paul Tergat locked together for 25 laps before the Ethiopian's final surge to the tape gave him victory by just .009 of a second. Both competitors describe the race vividly in their respective books, "The Greatest: The Haile Gebrselassie Story" by Jim Denison and "Paul Tergat: Running to the Limit" by Jurgen Wirz.

    Team Pride

    • Track and field is primarily an individual sport, but sometimes the greatest excitement comes in a team event such as a relay, which frequently provides the climax to a meet. The 4 x 100-meter relay should be a test of the four fastest sprinters. The real excitement comes at the changeover. Will they hand over the baton safely? In the 4 x 400-meter relay, there's a different kind of excitement. One team looks clear at the final changeover, but the last stage is often dominated by chasing athletes who run way above their individual ability to pass the leader in the final few strides.

    Technique

    • Field events hold a different kind of excitement. There is no head-to-head race for spectators to follow. Rivals inch ahead over a period of hours as they jump or throw things farther. Sometimes one individual performance dominates. When Dick Fosbury completed his first attempt at the high jump in the 1968 Mexico Olympics, the crowd was not sure what they had just witnessed. With one leap, the Fosbury Flop, as it has come to be known, transformed the high jump technique. At the same event, long jumper Bob Beamon crushed his rivals with a world record that stood for 23 years years. Sports commentator Steve Rider described Beamon's achievement as "something that is revered with an awe virtually unmatched even in the grand scheme of Olympic feats."