Instead, it was on Swiss runner Gabriela Andersen Schiess, the 37th-place finisher. The focus wasn't on the tough, gritty race won in record time by American Joan Benoit, who had knee surgery just weeks before the Olympics. The marathon was the most significant addition because the outcome again supported the argument that women could not handle difficult distance events. It ended up being one of the most anticipated finals of the '72 Olympics: a showdown between semifinal winners West Germany and East Germany in West Germany.ġ984 Los Angeles: The largest increase in the number of events took place in the LA Games, with the 3,000 meters, 400-meter hurdles, the marathon and heptathlon added. With the 400 having been introduced eight years earlier, it was only a matter of time before the relay event arrived. The new, longer event was comparable to the men’s 110-meter high hurdles. Though the short hurdles had been on the women’s program since 1932, it was only the 80-meter race. Though it consisted of half as many events as the men's decathlon, those five represented the same number of events as the entire 1928 women’s program.ġ972 Munich: Three more events appeared: the 100-meter hurdles, 4x400 relay and 1,500 meters. The pentathlon was a major addition as the first women’s multi-event. It consisted of the 80-meter hurdles, long jump, high jump, 200 meters and shot put. Radke won.ġ964 Tokyo: Two new events were introduced: the 400 meters and the pentathlon. The 400 was a logical addition to the 100, 200 and 800. Kinue Hitomi of Japan and Lina Radke of Germany battle in the 1928 800m final. Detractors could always point to the race and claim women could not handle strenuous events. The portrayal of the race became one of the greatest obstacles in furthering women’s athletics. Lynne Emery, "An Examination of The 1928 Olympic 800 Meter Race For Women" The removal of the race from the Olympic Games by the IAAF was unjustified based on the evidence presented. Years later, that claim was shown to be inaccurate.Ĭontrary to popular opinion, the runners did not fall on the track but several moved to the infield to lie down since they were not only winded but also disappointed at not winning.
The claim was that five women dropped out of the final, five others collapsed at the finish line and another runner fainted in the locker room. The 800 was removed from the program after 1928, after the International Olympic Committee claimed many competitors suffered from exhaustion and/or couldn’t finish the race. It was one of the original five events that women could compete in during the first women’s Olympic athletics competition in 1928 (the others were the 100, 4x100 relay, high jump and discus).
The path to equality was slow and troubled, with a series of missteps and obstacles.ġ960, Rome: The 800 became the 10th event in the women’s program. Over the next few decades, the women’s program slowly closed the gap, and today there are 23 events (the 50-kilometer racewalk is still not one of the women’s events). MORE: What is the most embarrassing moment in Olympic history? | Why don't top Olympic sprinters compete in the long jump anymore?īy comparison, the women’s program in 1956 consisted of only nine events:įour track events: 100 meters, 200 meters, 80-meter hurdles, 4x100 relayįive field events: Long jump, high jump, shot put, javelin, discus Three road events: Marathon, 20-kilometer racewalk, 50-kilometer racewalk
This brought the total number of men’s events to 24, including:ġ2 track events: 100 meters, 200 meters, 400 meters, 800 meters, 1,500 meters, 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, 3,000-meter steeplechase, 100-meter hurdles, 400-meter hurdles, 4x100 relay, 4x400 relayĮight field events: Long jump, high jump, triple jump, pole vault, shot put, javelin, hammer throw, discus The 10-kilometer racewalk - an event that had been on and off the men’s Olympic program since 1932 - was replaced by the 20-kilometer racewalk. The current men’s Olympic program in athletics became set at the 1956 Summer Games in Melbourne.
It has been a decades-long process, but it has been important progress toward reaching much-needed gender equality in athletics. The most significant way that the Olympics evolved was the gradual expansion of the women’s program to match that of the men’s. You can follow Quora on Twitter, Facebook, and Google+. Learn from experts and access insider knowledge.
This question originally appeared on Quora: The best answer to any question. How have Olympic track and field events evolved since the early 1900s? Originally answered on July 6, 2015.