This article contains an overview of the year 1985 in the sport of athletics.

International Events

Asian Championships An Asian Championship is a top level international sports competition between Asian athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. List of Championships (Summer Olympic Sports) ;Aquatics * Asia ...

Balkan Games The Balkan Athletics Championships or Balkan Games () is a regional athletics competition held between nations from the Balkans and organized by Balkan Athletics. The first games were held in Athens in 1929, and the most recent were being held in ...

Bolivarian Games The Bolivarian Games (Spanish: ''Juegos Bolivarianos'', full name ''Juegos Deportivos Bolivarianos'') are a regional multi-sport event held in honor of Simón Bolívar, and organized by the Bolivarian Sports Organization (''Organización Deport ...

Central American and Caribbean Championships The Central American and Caribbean (CAC) Championships is an international track and field athletics event organised by the Central American and Caribbean Athletic Confederation (CACAC). Only athletes representing a member nation of the confede ...

* European Indoor Championships * South American Championships *

Pan Arab Games The Arab Games ( ar, الألعاب العربية), also called the Pan Arab Games, are a regional multi-sport event held between nations from the Arab world. They are organized by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees. The first Gam ...

* World Cross Country Championships *

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

World Indoor Games The World Indoor Games were arranged by the IAAF and held at the Palais Omnisports Paris-Bercy in Paris, France, from January 18 to January 19, 1985. In 1987 the championship was renamed to the IAAF World Indoor Championships The World Athlet ...

* World Student Games

World records

Men

Women

Men's Best Year Performers

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

400 metres

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since t ...

1,500 metres

Mile

3,000 metres

5,000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ra ...

Half Marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

110m Hurdles

400m Hurdles

3,000m Steeplechase

High Jump

Long Jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...

Triple Jump The triple jump, sometimes referred to as the hop, step and jump or the hop, skip and jump, is a track and field event, similar to the long jump. As a group, the two events are referred to as the "horizontal jumps". The competitor runs down th ...

Discus

Hammer

Shot Put

Javelin (old design)

Pole Vault Pole vaulting, also known as pole jumping, is a track and field event in which an athlete uses a long and flexible pole, usually made from fiberglass or carbon fiber, as an aid to jump over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the Myc ...

Decathlon

Women's Best Year Performers

100 metres The 100 metres, or 100-meter dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, the dash is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been conteste ...

200 metres The 200 metres, or 200-meter dash, is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 metre racetrack, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques is needed to successfully run the race. A slightl ...

400 metres

800 metres The 800 metres, or meters ( US spelling), is a common track running event. It is the shortest commonly run middle-distance running event. The 800 metres is run over two laps of an outdoor (400-metre) track and has been an Olympic event since t ...

1,500 metres

Mile

3,000 metres

5,000 metres The 5000 metres or 5000-metre run is a common long-distance running event in track and field, approximately equivalent to or . It is one of the track events in the Olympic Games and the World Championships in Athletics, run over laps of a stan ...

10,000 metres The 10,000 metres or the 10,000-metre run is a common long-distance track running event. The event is part of the athletics programme at the Olympic Games and the World Athletics Championships, and is common at championship level events. The ra ...

Half Marathon A half marathon is a road running event of —half the distance of a marathon. It is common for a half marathon event to be held concurrently with a marathon or a 5K race, using almost the same course with a late start, an early finish or shortcut ...

100m Hurdles

400m Hurdles

High Jump

Long Jump The long jump is a track and field event in which athletes combine speed, strength and agility in an attempt to leap as far as possible from a takeoff point. Along with the triple jump, the two events that measure jumping for distance as a ...

Shot Put

Discus

Javelin (old design)

Heptathlon

Marathon

Year Rankings

Men

Women

National Champions

Road races

Births

* January 4 —

Antar Zerguelaïne Antar Zerguelaïne (born 4 January 1985 in Jijel, Algeria) is an Algerian middle distance runner who specializes in the 1500 metres. Competition record Personal bests *800 metres - 1:46.56 min (2005) *1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500- ...

, Algerian middle distance runner * January 4 —

Nataliya Zolotukhina Nataliya Zolotukhina ( uk, Наталія Золотухіна; born 4 January 1985 in Kharkiv, in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union) is a female hammer thrower from Ukraine. Her personal best throw is 70.30 metres, achieved in May 2010 in Ya ...

, Ukrainian hammer thrower * January 6 —

Nick Owens Nick may refer to: * Nick (given name) * A cricket term for a slight deviation of the ball off the edge of the bat * British slang for being arrested * British slang for a police station * British slang for stealing * Short for nickname Pla ...

, American hammer thrower * February 10 — Mariya Smolyachkova, Belarusian hammer thrower * March 2 — Patrick Makau Musyoki, Kenyan distance runner * March 16 — Olexiy Sokyrskiyy, Ukrainian hammer thrower * March 19 —

Sean Wroe Sean Wroe (born 19 March 1985) is an Australian sprint (running), sprinter. He was born in Melbourne to a Japanese Australians, Japanese Australian mother and is a fluent Japanese language, Japanese speaker. Wroe competed at the 2008 Summer Olym ...

, Australian sprinter * March 21 —

Vladimir Kanaykin Vladimir Alekseevich Kanaykin (russian: Владимир Алексеевич Канайкин; born 21 March 1985) is a Russian race walker. Career He won the 2002 World Junior Championships in the 10 km race, took the silver medal at the ...

, Russian race walker * March 25 — Wilfried Bingangoye, Gabonese sprinter * April 6 —

Anna Avdeyeva Anna Mikhailovna Avdeyeva (russian: Анна Микайовна Авдеева; also known as Anna Avdeeva, born 6 April 1985 in Orenburg) is a Russian shot putter. She was fifth at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics and improved to four ...

, Russian shot putter * April 7 — James Rendón, Colombian race walker * April 18 —

Musa Amer Obaid Musa Amer Obaid ( ar, موسى عامر عبيد; born April 18, 1985, in Kenya) is a middle distance runner mainly competing in steeplechase. He was born Moses Kipkirui, but represents Qatar after changing nationality from his birth country Keny ...

, Kenyan-Qatari middle distance runner * May 4 — Henry Sugut, Kenyan long-distance runner * May 5 — Gu Junjie, Chinese triple jumper * May 21 —

Mohsen El Anany Mohsen Mohamed Abdel-Mohsen Anani Yousef Mustafa ( ar, محسن محمد عبد المحسن عناني يوسف مصطفى; born 21 May 1985) is an Egyptian hammer thrower. He was born in Tunis, Tunisia. He transferred his eligibility to his nativ ...

, Egyptian hammer thrower * May 26 — Irina Petrova, Russian race walker * May 27 — Karina Vnukova, Lithuanian high jumper * May 31 —

Kim Hyun-Sub Kim Hyun-sub (, or ; born May 31, 1985) is a male race walker from South Korea. He is the first South Korean person who obtained a medal at IAAF World Athletics Championships The World Athletics Championships (until 2019 known as the World ...

, South Korean race walker * June 1 —

Tirunesh Dibaba Tirunesh Dibaba ( om, Xirunesh Dibaabaa, Amharic: ጥሩነሽ ዲባባ ቀነኒ; born 1 June 1985) is an Ethiopian athlete who competed in long-distance track events and international road races. She has won three Olympic track gold medal ...

, Ethiopian long-distance runner * June 3 — Samwel Mwera, Tanzanian middle distance runner * June 15 — Susan McKelvie, Scottish hammer thrower * June 17 — Ozge Gurler, Turkish athlete * June 21 — Ryoko Kizaki, Japanese long-distance runner * July 29 — Anja Pollmächer, German sprinter * July 31 — Brimin Kipruto, Kenyan middle distance runner * August 26 —

Oleksiy Kasyanov Oleksiy Kasyanov or Oleksii Serhiiovych Kasianov ( uk, Олексій Сергійович Касьянов; born 26 August 1985 in Stakhanov (now Kadiivka, Ukraine) is a Ukrainian decathlete. Career His personal best score is 8479 points, achiev ...

, Ukrainian decathlete * September 17 — Tracy-Ann Rowe, Jamaican sprinter * October 12 — Boniface Kiprop Toroitich, Ugandan athlete * November 14 — Andrey Krivov, Russian race walker * November 16 —

Rogério Bispo Rogério da Silva Bispo (born 16 November 1985) is a Brazilian long jumper. He finished eleventh at the 2004 World Junior Championships and at the 2007 Pan American Games The 2007 Pan American Games, officially known as the XV Pan America ...

, Brazilian long jumper * November 18 — Allyson Felix, American sprinter * December 1 —

Andretti Bain Andretti Bain (born 1 December 1985) is a Bahamian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres. He was born in Nassau. Bain finished fifth in 4 x 400 metres relay at the 2004 World Indoor Championships, together with t ...

, Bahamian sprinter * December 8 — Kim Deok-Hyeon, South Korean triple jumper * December 20 —

Gilbert Kirwa Gilbert Kipruto Kirwa (born 20 December 1985) is a Kenyan athlete who specialises in long-distance running and the marathon. His personal best for the marathon is 2:06:14 hours and has won races in Vienna and Frankfurt. Career A Nandi people, Na ...

, Kenyan marathon runner * December 26 —

Carol Rodríguez Carol Ann Rodríguez Taylor (born 26 December 1985 in Pomona, California) is a Puerto Rican sprinter. Her mother was an African American from New Orleans, and her father grew up in Yauco, Puerto Rico. Carol Rodríguez is currently the Host of ...

, Puerto Rican sprinter

Deaths

* March 4 —

Sverre Strandli Sverre Gunnar Strandli (30 November 1925 – 4 March 1985) was a Norwegian hammer thrower, who won the gold medal at the European Championships in 1950 and the silver medal in 1954. At the Summer Olympics Strandli finished seventh in Helsinki ...

(59), Norwegian hammer thrower (b. 1925) * June 15 — Andy Stanfield (67), American athlete (b. 1927) * October 30 —

Edgar Bruun Edgar Bruun (4 August 1905 – 30 October 1985) was a Norwegian race walker Racewalking, or race walking, is a long-distance discipline within the sport of athletics. Although a foot race, it is different from running in that one foot must ...

(80), Norwegian race walker (b. 1905)

References

Year Lists

{{DEFAULTSORT:1985 In Athletics (Track And Field) Athletics (track and field) by year