The sport is the epitome of the Olympic Motto ‘Citius, Altius, Fortius’ (‘Faster, Higher, Stronger’), with competitors aiming to to run faster, throw further, jump higher and leap longer than their rivals.
Most of the competition takes place at the new home of British athletics, the Olympic Stadium, with the Marathon and Race walks taking place around London before finishing at The Mall.
Given the highly technical nature of the sport, every aspect of athletes’ performances must be perfect to ensure they finish ahead of their rivals.
Athletics was one of the highlights of Beijing 2008 with 12 new Olympic records and five new world records set. With several of the record-breaking athletes returning to defend their titles at London 2012, the Athletics competition promises to be a gripping spectacle.
All entries for the Athletics competition will be confirmed following the sport entries deadline on 9 July 2012.
View the full London 2012 Athletics schedule
Related content
- Sports
