Editing Track and field (section)

== Field ==
===Jumping===

{{Main|Long jump}}
[[File:Naide Gomes.JPG|thumb|[[Naide Gomes]] in the jumping phase of the event]]
The long jump is one of the oldest track and field events, having its roots as one of the events within the [[ancient Greek pentathlon]] contest. The athletes would take a short run up and jump into an area of dug up earth, with the winner being the one who jumped farthest.<ref name="AOG_book">{{Cite book |last=Swaddling |first=Judith |title=The Ancient Olympic Games |publisher=University of Texas Press |isbn=0-292-77751-5 |url=https://archive.org/details/ancientolympicga00swad |year=1999}}</ref> Small weights ([[Halteres (ancient Greece)|Halteres]]) were held in each hand during the jump then swung back and dropped near the end to gain extra momentum and distance.<ref name=Miller68>Miller, Steven G. (2004). ''Ancient Greek Athletics''. Pg. 68. Yale University. {{ISBN|0-300-11529-6}}.</ref> The modern long jump, standardised in England and the United States around 1860, bears resemblance to the ancient event although no weights are used. Athletes sprint along a length of track that leads to a jumping board and a [[sandpit]].<ref name=IAAFLJ>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9464.html Long Jump – Introduction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100809105019/http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9464.html |date=9 August 2010 }}. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 10 May 2010.</ref> The athletes must jump before a marked line and their achieved distance is measured from the nearest point of sand disturbed by the athlete's body.<ref name=AboutLJ>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/longjump/p/Introlongjump.htm |title=Introduction to the Long Jump |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091021102115/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/longjump/p/Introlongjump.htm |archive-date=21 October 2009 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=10 May 2010}}</ref>

The athletics competition at the first Olympics featured a men's long jump competition and a women's competition was introduced at the [[1948 Summer Olympics]].<ref name=IAAFLJ /> Professional long jumpers typically have strong acceleration and sprinting abilities. However, athletes must also have a consistent stride to allow them to take off near the board while still maintaining their maximum speed.<ref name=AboutLJ /><ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9459.html Long Jump – Is it for me?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120112120300/http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9459.html |date=12 January 2012 }}. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 10 May 2010.</ref> In addition to the traditional long jump, a [[standing long jump]] contest exists which requires that athletes leap from a static position without a run-up. A men's version of this event featured on the Olympic programme from 1900 to 1912.<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/347292/long-jum long jump]. [[Encyclopædia Britannica]] (2010). Retrieved on 10 May 2010.</ref> {{As of|2024}}, the men's long jump world record is held by [[Mike Powell (long jumper)|Mike Powell]], jumping 8.95 meters in 1991.<ref>{{cite web |title=One giant leap: Mike Powell's long jump record endures 30 years later |url=https://www.ocregister.com/2021/08/29/mike-powells-long-jump-record-endures-30-years-later/ |website=[[The Orange County Register]]|date=30 August 2021 }}</ref>

====Triple jump====
{{Main|Triple jump}}
[[File:Triple jump Athletissima 2012.ogv|thumb|[[Olga Rypakova]] performing a [[triple jump]] in 2012]]
Similar to the long jump, the triple jump takes place on a track heading towards a sandpit. Originally, athletes would hop on the same leg twice before jumping into the pit, but this was changed to the current "hop, step and jump" pattern from 1900 onwards.<ref name=IAAFTJ>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9466.html Triple Jump – Introduction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100809105440/http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9466.html |date=9 August 2010 }}. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 10 May 2010.</ref> There is some dispute over whether the triple jump was contested in ancient Greece: while some historians claim that a contest of three jumps occurred at Ancient Games,<ref name=IAAFTJ /> others such as [[Stephen G. Miller]] believe this is incorrect, suggesting that the belief stems from a mythologised account of [[Phayllus of Croton]] having jumped 55 ancient [[Foot (length)|feet]] (around 16.3&nbsp;m).<ref name=Miller68 /><ref>[http://ancientolympics.arts.kuleuven.be/eng/TP018EN.html Phayllos of Kroton] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110823160941/http://ancientolympics.arts.kuleuven.be/eng/TP018EN.html |date=23 August 2011 }}. Ancient Olympics. Retrieved on 10 May 2010.</ref> The [[Book of Leinster]], a 12th-century Irish manuscript, records the existence of ''geal-ruith'' (triple jump) contests at the [[Tailteann Games (ancient)|Tailteann Games]].<ref>McCormack, Mike. [http://www.nassauaoh.com/reports/national-historian/ James Connolly – The Athlete] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100507170525/http://www.nassauaoh.com/reports/national-historian/ |date=7 May 2010 }}. ''National Historian''. Retrieved on 10 May 2010.</ref>

The men's triple jump competition has been ever-present at the modern Olympics, but it was not until 1993 that a women's version gained World Championship status and went on to have its first Olympic appearance three years later.<ref name=IAAFTJ /> The men's [[standing triple jump]] event featured at the Olympics in 1900 and 1904, but such competitions have since become very uncommon, although it is still used as a non-competitive exercise drill.<ref>Lee, Jimsun (8 April 2010). [http://speedendurance.com/2010/04/08/the-importance-of-the-standing-triple-jump/ The Importance of the Standing Triple Jump] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100611105716/http://speedendurance.com/2010/04/08/the-importance-of-the-standing-triple-jump/ |date=11 June 2010 }}. Speed Endurance. Retrieved on 10 May 2010.</ref> The Current world record for the Men's triple jump is {{convert|18.29|m|ftin|abbr=off|sp=us}} held by Jonathan Edwards. The current women's world record is {{convert|15.67|m|ft|sp=us}}4 3/4in) held by Yulimar Rojas.

====High jump====
{{Main|High jump}}
[[File:High School Track and Field Athlete in the High Jump.jpg|thumb|A high school student attempting to [[high jump]] while using the [[Fosbury Flop]] technique]]
The first recorded instances of high jumping competitions were in [[Scotland]] in the 19th century.<ref>[http://www.spikesmag.com/disciplines/jumping/highjump.aspx High Jump] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101113022016/http://www.spikesmag.com/disciplines/jumping/highjump.aspx |date=13 November 2010 }}. ''[[Spikes Magazine]]''. Retrieved on 10 May 2010.</ref> Further competitions were organised in 1840 in England and in 1865 the basic rules of the modern event were standardised there.<ref name=IAAFHJ>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9458.html High Jump – Introduction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100809105433/http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9458.html |date=9 August 2010 }}. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 10 May 2010.</ref> Athletes have a short run up and then take off from one foot to jump over a horizontal bar and fall back onto a cushioned landing area.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/highjump/a/highjumpbasics.htm |title=Introduction to the High Jump |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106033918/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/highjump/a/highjumpbasics.htm |archive-date=6 January 2010 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=10 May 2010}}</ref> The men's high jump was included in the 1896 Olympics and a women's competition followed in 1928.

Jumping technique has played a significant part in the history of the event. High jumpers typically cleared the bar feet first in the late 19th century, using either the [[Scissors-Jump|Scissors]], [[Eastern cut-off]] or [[Western roll]] technique. The [[straddle technique]] became prominent in the mid-20th century, but [[Dick Fosbury]] overturned tradition by pioneering a backwards and head-first technique in the late 1960s – the [[Fosbury Flop]] – which won him the gold at the [[Athletics at the 1968 Summer Olympics|1968 Olympics]]. This technique has become the overwhelming standard for the sport from the 1980s onwards.<ref name=IAAFHJ /><ref>Gillon, Doug (15 May 2009). [http://www.heraldscotland.com/how-a-flop-turned-fosbury-into-a-legend-1.910158 How a flop turned Fosbury into a legend] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120418234526/http://www.heraldscotland.com/how-a-flop-turned-fosbury-into-a-legend-1.910158 |date=18 April 2012 }}. ''[[The Herald (Glasgow)|The Herald]]''. Retrieved on 10 May 2010.</ref> The [[standing high jump]] was contested at the Olympics from 1900 to 1912, but is now relatively uncommon outside of its use as an exercise drill.

====Pole vault====
{{Main|Pole vault}}
[[File:Pole vault9.jpg|thumb|[[Anna Giordano Bruno]] releases the pole after clearing the bar in [[pole vault]]]]
In terms of sport, the use of poles for vaulting distances was recorded in [[Fierljeppen]] contests in the [[Frisia]]n area of Europe, and vaulting for height was seen at [[gymnastics]] competitions in Germany in the 1770s.<ref name=IAAFPV>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9454.html Pole Vault – Introduction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100809105428/http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9454.html |date=9 August 2010 }}. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 10 May 2010.</ref> One of the earliest recorded pole vault competitions was in [[Cumbria]], England in 1843.<ref>Turnbull, Simon (13 June 2009). [https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/kate-dennison-it-helps-being-a-little-bit-crazy-1704055.html Kate Dennison: 'It helps being a little bit crazy'] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170701020351/http://www.independent.co.uk/sport/general/athletics/kate-dennison-it-helps-being-a-little-bit-crazy-1704055.html |date=1 July 2017 }}. ''[[The Independent]]''. Retrieved on 10 May 2010.</ref> The basic rules and technique of the event originated in the United States. The rules required that athletes do not move their hands along the pole and athletes began clearing the bar with their feet first and twisting so that the stomach faces the bar. [[Bamboo]] poles were introduced in the 20th century and a metal box in the runway for planting the pole became standard. Landing mattresses were introduced in the mid-20th century to protect the athletes who were clearing increasingly greater heights.<ref name=IAAFPV />

The modern event sees athletes run down a strip of track, plant the pole in the metal box, and vault over the horizontal bar before letting go of the pole and falling backwards onto the landing mattress.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/polevault/p/Intropolevault.htm |title=Introduction to the Pole Vault |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100107003010/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/polevault/p/Intropolevault.htm |archive-date=7 January 2010 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=10 May 2010}}</ref> While earlier versions used wooden, metal or bamboo, modern poles are generally made from artificial materials such as [[fibreglass]] or [[carbon fibre]].<ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/polevault/ss/illuspolevault_2.htm |title=An Illustrated History of Pole Vault |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100106034246/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/polevault/ss/illuspolevault_2.htm |archive-date=6 January 2010 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=10 May 2010}}</ref> The pole vault has been an Olympic event since 1896 for men, but it was over 100 years later that the first women's world championship competition was held at the [[1997 IAAF World Indoor Championships]]. The first women's Olympic pole vaulting competition occurred in 2000.<ref name=IAAFPV />

===Throwing===
Track and field contains some of the foremost kinds of [[throwing sports]], and the four major disciplines are the only pure throwing events to feature at the [[Olympic Games]].<ref>[http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/sports/track_and_field_-_throws Track and Field – Throws] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150316071521/http://www.ausport.gov.au/ais/nutrition/factsheets/sports/track_and_field_-_throws |date=16 March 2015 }}. [[Australian Institute of Sport]]. Retrieved on 16 March 2015.</ref>

====Shot put====
{{Main|Shot put}}
[[File:Remigius Machura senior CZ championships in athletics Kladno 2005.jpg|thumb|[[Remigius Machura]] preparing to throw within the circle in [[shot put]]]]
The genesis of the shot put can be traced to pre-historic competitions with rocks:<ref>[http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/541863/shot-put Shot put] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100206011856/http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/541863/shot-put |date=6 February 2010 }}. ''[[Encyclopædia Britannica]]'' (2010). Retrieved on 11 May 2010.</ref> in the [[Middle Ages]] the [[stone put]] was known in Scotland and the [[steinstossen]] was recorded in Switzerland. In the 17th century, [[Round shot|cannonball]] throwing competitions within the English military provided a precursor to the modern sport.<ref name=IAAFSP>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9444.html Shot Put – Introduction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121025121004/http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9444.html |date=25 October 2012 }}. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 11 May 2010.</ref> The term "shot" originates from the use of [[round shot]]-style ammunition for the sport.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/shotput/ss/illustrateshot.htm |title=An Illustrated History of Shot Put – The early days of shot put |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160819022007/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/shotput/ss/illustrateshot.htm |archive-date=19 August 2016 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=11 May 2010}}</ref> The modern rules were first laid out in 1860 and required that competitors take legal throws within a square throwing area of {{convert|7|ft|m|spell=in}} on each side. This was amended to a circle area with a seven-foot diameter in 1906, and the weight of the shot was standardised to {{convert|16|lb|kg}}. Throwing technique was also refined over this period, with bent arm throws being banned as they were deemed too dangerous and the side-step and throw technique arising in the United States in 1876.<ref name=IAAFSP />

The shot put has been an Olympic sport for men since 1896 and a women's competition using a {{convert|4|kg|lb|abbr=on}} shot was added in 1948. Further throwing techniques have arisen since the post-war era: in the 1950s [[Parry O'Brien]] popularised the 180 degree turn and throw technique commonly known as the "glide", breaking the world record 17 times along the way, while [[Aleksandr Baryshnikov]] and [[Brian Oldfield]] introduced the "spin" or rotational technique in 1976.<ref name=IAAFSP /><ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/shotput/p/introshotput.htm |title=Introduction to Shot Put |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090527132035/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/shotput/p/introshotput.htm |archive-date=27 May 2009 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=11 May 2010}}</ref>

====Discus throw====
{{Main|Discus throw}}
[[File:Zoltan Kovago o.jpg|thumb|[[Zoltán Kővágó]] preparing to spin and throw in [[discus throw]]]]
In the [[discus throw]], athletes compete to throw a heavy [[disc (mathematics)|disc]] the farthest. In standard competitions, athletes throw the disc from a set circular arc and take turns in a series of throw, with the singular best effort deciding the victor. As one of the events within the ancient pentathlon, the history of the discus throw dates back to 708 BC.<ref name=Miller61>Miller, Steven G. (2004). ''Ancient Greek Athletics''. Pg. 61. Yale University. {{ISBN|0-300-11529-6}}.</ref> In ancient times a heavy circular disc was thrown from a set standing position on a small [[pedestal]], and it was this style that was revived for the 1896 Olympics.<ref name=IAAFDT>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9437.html Discus Throw – Introduction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122203019/http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9437.html |date=22 November 2011 }}. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 11 May 2010.</ref> This continued until the [[1906 Intercalated Games]] in Athens, which featured both the ancient style and the increasingly popular modern style of turning and throwing. By the 1912 Olympics, the ancient standing throw style had fallen into disuse and contests starting within a 2.5&nbsp;m squared throwing area became the standard.<ref>Murphy, Colm (1999). [http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv7n1/JOHv7n1g.pdf The Greek Discus Event]. {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100808024524/http://www.la84foundation.org/SportsLibrary/JOH/JOHv7n1/JOHv7n1g.pdf |date=8 August 2010 }}. ''[[Journal of Olympic History]]'', Winter 1999 (pg. 3). Retrieved on 11 May 2010.</ref> The discus implement was standardised to {{convert|2|kg|lb|abbr=on}} in weight and {{convert|22|cm|in|abbr=on}} in diameter in 1907.<ref name=IAAFDT /> The women's discus was among the first women's events on the Olympic programme, being introduced in 1928.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/discus/ss/illusdiscus_3.htm |title=An Illustrated History of Discus – Women join Olympics |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090528101507/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/discus/ss/illusdiscus_3.htm |archive-date=28 May 2009 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=11 May 2010}}</ref> The first modern athlete to throw the discus while rotating the whole body was Czech athlete [[František Janda-Suk]], who invented the technique when studying the position of the famous statue of Discobolus and won the 1900 Olympic silver medal.

====Javelin throw====
{{Main|Javelin throw}}
[[File:Bregje crolla Europacup 2007.jpg|thumb|A [[javelin throw]] athlete]]
As an implement of war and hunting, the [[javelin throw]] began in prehistoric times.<ref name="trackandfield.about.com">{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/javelin/ss/illhistjavelin.htm |title=An Illustrated History of Javelin – The early days of Javelin throwing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508080031/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/javelin/ss/illhistjavelin.htm |archive-date=8 May 2009 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=11 May 2010}}</ref> Along with the discus, the javelin was the second throwing event in the ancient Olympic pentathlon. Records from 708 BC show two javelin competition types co-existing: throwing at a target and throwing the javelin for distance. It was the latter type from which the modern event derives.<ref name=IAAFJT>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9427.html Javelin Throw – Introduction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120606232418/http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid%3D9427.html |date=6 June 2012 }}. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 11 May 2010.</ref> In ancient competitions, athletes would wrap an ''ankyle'' (thin leather strip) around the javelin that acted as a sling to facilitate extra distance.<ref name=Miller69>Miller, Steven G. (2004). ''Ancient Greek Athletics''. Pg. 69. Yale University. {{ISBN|0-300-11529-6}}.</ref> The javelin throw gained much popularity in [[Scandinavia]] in the late 19th century and athletes from the region are still among the most dominant throwers in men's competitions.<ref name=IAAFJT /> The modern event features a short run up on a track and then the thrower releases the javelin before the foul line. The runway measures at a minimum of 30m in length, and is covered with the same surface as the track.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date= |title=Athletics throwing events |url=https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/sport-and-recreation/sports-dimensions-guide/athletics-throwing-events |access-date=5 February 2021 |website=DLGSC |archive-date=13 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213033719/https://www.dlgsc.wa.gov.au/sport-and-recreation/sports-dimensions-guide/athletics-throwing-events |url-status=live }}</ref>

The first Olympic men's javelin throw contest was held in 1908 and a women's competition was introduced in 1932.<ref name="trackandfield.about.com"/><ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/javelin/ss/illhistjavelin_2.htm |title=An Illustrated History of Javelin – Women enter Olympic competition |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508102525/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/javelin/ss/illhistjavelin_2.htm |archive-date=8 May 2009 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=11 May 2010}}</ref> The first javelins were made of various types of wood, but in the 1950s, former athlete [[Bud Held]] introduced a hollow javelin, then a metal javelin, both of which increased throwers performances.<ref name=IAAFJT /> Another former athlete, [[Miklós Németh (athlete)|Miklós Németh]] invented the rough-tailed javelin and throws reached in excess of 100&nbsp;m – edging towards the limits of stadia.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/javelin/ss/illhistjavelin_3.htm |title=An Illustrated History of Javelin – Changing configurations |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090508025951/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/javelin/ss/illhistjavelin_3.htm |archive-date=8 May 2009 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=11 May 2010}}</ref> The distances and the increasing number of horizontal landings led the IAAF to redesign the men's javelin to reduce distance and increase the implement's downward [[pitching moment]] to allow for easier measurement. Rough-tailed designs were banned in 1991 and all marks achieved with such javelins were removed from the record books. The women's javelin underwent a similar redesign in 1999.<ref name=IAAFJT /> The current javelin specifications are 2.6 to 2.7&nbsp;m in length and 800&nbsp;grams in weight for men, and 2.2 to 2.3&nbsp;m and 600&nbsp;g for women.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/javelin/p/Introjavelin.htm |title=Introduction to Javelin Throwing |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121119041551/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/javelin/p/Introjavelin.htm |archive-date=19 November 2012 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=11 May 2010}}</ref>

====Hammer throw====
{{Main|Hammer throw}}
[[File:Yury Shayunou.JPG|thumb|[[Yury Shayunou]] spinning with the hammer within the circle in [[hammer throw]]]]
The earliest recorded precursors to the modern [[hammer throw]] stem from the [[Tailteann Games (ancient)|Tailteann Games]] of ancient Ireland, which featured events such as throwing either a weight attached to a rope, a large rock on a wooden handle, or even a [[chariot]] wheel on a wooden [[axle]].<ref name=AboutHT>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/hammerthrow/ss/illushammer.htm |title=An Illustrated History of the Hammer Throw – The early days of the hammer throw |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707075436/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/hammerthrow/ss/illushammer.htm |archive-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=11 May 2010}}</ref> Other ancient competitions included throwing a cast iron ball attached to a wooden handle – the root of the term "hammer throw" due to their resemblance to the tools.<ref name=IAAFHT>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9418.html Hammer Throw – Introduction] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111122194630/http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9418.html |date=22 November 2011 }}. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 11 May 2010.</ref> In 16th century England, contests involving the throwing of actual [[blacksmith]]'s [[Sledgehammer]]s were recorded.<ref name=AboutHT /> The hammer implement was standardised in 1887 and the competitions began to resemble the modern event. The weight of the metal ball was set at {{convert|16|lb|kg}} while the attached wire had to measure between 1.175&nbsp;m and 1.215&nbsp;m.<ref name=IAAFHT />

The men's hammer throw became an Olympic event in 1900 but the women's event – using a {{convert|4|kg|lb|abbr=on}} weight – was not widely competed until much later, finally featuring on the women's Olympic programme in 2000.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/hammerthrow/ss/illushammer_3.htm |title=An Illustrated History of the Hammer Throw – Women's hammer time |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707075502/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/hammerthrow/ss/illushammer_3.htm |archive-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref> The distances thrown by male athletes became greater from the 1950s onwards as a result of improved equipment using the denser metals, a switch to concrete throwing areas, and more advanced training techniques.<ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/hammerthrow/ss/illushammer_2.htm |title=An Illustrated History of the Hammer Throw – More Power |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707075511/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/hammerthrow/ss/illushammer_2.htm |archive-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref> Professional hammer throwers were historically large, strong, sturdy athletes. However, qualities such as refined technique, speed and flexibility have become increasingly important in the modern era as the legal throwing area has been reduced from 90 to 34.92 degrees and throwing technique involves three to four controlled rotations.<ref name=IAAFHT /><ref>[http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9411.html Hammer Throw – Is it for me?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100402074216/http://www.iaaf.org/community/athletics/trackfield/newsid=9411.html |date=2 April 2010 }}. [[IAAF]]. Retrieved on 12 May 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Rosenbaum |first=Mike |url=http://trackandfield.about.com/od/hammerthrow/ss/illushammer_4.htm |title=An Illustrated History of the Hammer Throw – Where the hammer throw is now |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110707075517/http://trackandfield.about.com/od/hammerthrow/ss/illushammer_4.htm |archive-date=7 July 2011 |url-status=usurped |website=About |access-date=12 May 2010}}</ref>