The steeplechase is an obstacle race in

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing. The foremost version of the event is the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

. The 2000 metres steeplechase is the next most common distance. A 1000 metres steeplechase is occasionally used in

youth athletics Youth sports is any sports event where competitors are younger than adult age, whether children or adolescents. Youth sports includes school sports at primary and secondary level, as well as sports played outside the education system, whether ...

History

The event originated in

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, where horses and riders raced from one town's

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to the next: the steeples were used as markers due to their visibility over long distances. Along the way, runners inevitably had to jump streams and low stone walls separating estates. The modern athletics event originates from a cross-country steeplechase that formed part of the

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sports in 1860. It was replaced in 1865 by an event over barriers on a flat field, which became the modern steeplechase. It has been a men's Olympic event since the inception of the 1900 Olympics, though with varying lengths until 1908. Since the 1968 Summer Olympics, men's steeplechase in the Olympics has been dominated by

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n athletes, including a gold medal streak from 1988 through 2016 and a clean sweep of the medals at the

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and 2004 Games. The steeplechase for women is 3,000 metres long, but with lower barriers than for the men. A distance of 2,000 metres, with a shorter water jump, had been experimented with before the current race format was established. It made its first major championship appearance at the 2005 World Championships in

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, and in 2008, the women's 3,000 metres steeplechase appeared for the first time on the Olympic program in Beijing. Other divisions including

masters athletics Masters athletics is a class of the sport of athletics for athletes of over 35 years of age. The events include track and field, road running and cross country running. Competitors are bracketed into five-year age groups (which promotes fair comp ...

and youth athletics run 2,000 metres distances: the format for a 2,000-metre steeplechase removes the first two barriers of the first lap. The 1900 Olympics featured a 2500 metres steeplechase and a 4000 metres steeplechase, while a 2590 metres steeplechase was held at the 1904 Olympics, and a lap counting error caused the 1932 Olympics to feature a 3460-meter steeplechase.

Format

A 3,000 metres steeplechase is defined in the rulebook as having 28 barriers and seven water jumps. A 2,000 meters steeplechase has 18 barriers and five water jumps. Since the water jump is never on the track oval, a steeplechase "course" is never a perfect 400 meters lap. Instead, the water jump is placed inside the turn, shortening the lap, or outside the turn, lengthening the lap. The start line moves from conventional starting areas in order to compensate for the different length of lap. When the water jump is inside, the 3,000-metre start line is on the backstretch (relative to the steeplechase finish). When the water jump is outside, the 3,000-metre start line is on the home stretch. The 2,000-metre start line reverses that pattern and uses the amount of compensation.

Notes and references

External links

IAAF list of steeplechase records in XMLWomen's Steeplechase
{{Authority control Athletics by type

History

Format

See also

Notes and references

External links