Sprint (running) in the context of "Athletics (sport)"

Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, and throwing skills. The name used in North America is derived from where the sport takes place, a running track and a grass field for the throwing and some of the jumping events. Track and field is categorized under the umbrella sport of athletics, which also includes road running, cross country running and race walking. Though the sense of "athletics" as a broader sport is not used in American English, outside of the United States the term athletics can either be used to mean just its track and field component or the entirety of the sport (adding road racing and cross country) based on context.

The foot racing events, which include sprints, middle- and long-distance events, race walking, and hurdling, are won by the athlete who completes it in the least time. The jumping and throwing events are won by those who achieve the greatest distance or height. Regular jumping events include long jump, triple jump, high jump, and pole vault, while the most common throwing events are shot put, javelin, discus, and hammer. There are also "combined events" or "multi events", such as the pentathlon consisting of five events, heptathlon consisting of seven events, and decathlon consisting of ten events. In these, athletes participate in a combination of track and field events. Most track and field events are individual sports with a single victor; the most prominent team events are relay races, which typically feature teams of four. Events are almost exclusively divided by gender, although both the men's and women's competitions are usually held at the same venue. One exception are mixed relays, in which two men and two women make up the four-person team. If a race has too many people to run all at once, preliminary heats will be run to narrow down the field of participants.

Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion by which humans and other animals move quickly on foot. Running is a gait with an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is in contrast to walking, a slower form of movement where at least one foot is always in contact with the ground, the legs are kept mostly straight, and the center of gravity vaults over the stance leg or legs in an inverted pendulum fashion. A feature of a running body from the viewpoint of spring-mass mechanics is that changes in kinetic and potential energy within a stride co-occur, with energy storage accomplished by springy tendons and passive muscle elasticity. The term "running" can refer to a variety of speeds ranging from jogging to sprinting.

Running in humans is associated with improved health and life expectancy.

Middle-distance running events are track races longer than sprints, ranging from 500 metres up to two miles (3,218.688 metres). The standard middle distances are the 800 metres, 1500 metres and mile run, although the 3000 metres may also be classified as a middle-distance event. The 1500 m came about as a result of running 3+3⁄4 laps of a 400 m outdoor track or 7+1⁄2 laps of a 200 m indoor track, which were commonplace in continental Europe in the 20th century.

Middle-distance running is unique in that it typically requires attributes found in both sprinters and long-distance runners, including combinations of both footspeed and aerobic endurance. Middle-distance racing is commonly reported to be a highly intense physical experience, requiring large amounts of anaerobic exertion from the body.

Raya Bronstein (Hebrew: רעיה ברונשטיין; 1 October 1929 – 4 May 2023) was an Israeli athlete, sprinter, high jumper, shot putter, basketball player (the first Israeli national women's team, 1950), weightlifter, discus thrower and javelin thrower, Israeli champion and record holder, Maccabiah Games champion, and teacher in physical education.

She was born in Berlin to a family of the owners of a bookstore and "Kedem" publishing house. Her family emigrated from Nazi Germany to Eretz Israel in 1938 and eventually settled in Tel Aviv, where she lived in the same apartment until her last days.

Antonina Vladimirovna Krivoshapka (Russian: Антонина Владимировна Кривошапка; born 21 July 1987) is a Russian sprinter who specialises in the 400 metres. She competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where her team originally was awarded a silver medal in the 4 × 400 m relay. Krivoshapka and her teammates were later stripped of this medal after Krivoshapka tested positive for the steroid turinabol.

Usain St. Leo Bolt (/ˈjuːseɪn/ YOO-sayn; born 21 August 1986) is a Jamaican retired sprinter who is widely regarded as the greatest sprinter of all time. He is an eight-time Olympic gold medalist and the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay.

Bolt is the only sprinter to win Olympic 100 m and 200 m titles at three consecutive Olympics (2008, 2012, and 2016). He also won two 4 × 100 relay gold medals. He gained worldwide fame for his double sprint victory in world record times at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, which made him the first person to hold both records since fully automatic time became mandatory.

Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (née Fraser; born December 27, 1986) is a retired Jamaican track and field sprinter who competed in the 60 metres, 100 m and 200 m. She is widely regarded as one of the greatest sprinters of all time.

One of the most enduring track athletes in history, Fraser-Pryce's career spans over a decade and a half, from the late 2000s to the mid 2020s. Her success on the track, including her consistency at major championships, helped to usher in the golden age of Jamaican sprinting. In the 100 m, her signature event, she is a two-time Olympic gold medallist and a five-time world champion. In the 200 m, she has won gold and silver at the World Athletics Championships, as well as an Olympic silver medal.