This article contains an overview of the year 1986 in the sport of athletics.

International Events

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 ...

* European Championships * European Indoor Championships *

Commonwealth Games The Commonwealth Games, often referred to as the Friendly Games or simply the Comm Games, are a quadrennial international multi-sport event among athletes from the Commonwealth of Nations. The event was first held in 1930, and, with the exce ...

* Goodwill Games * World Junior Championships

World records

Men

Women

*''

Heike Drechsler Heike Gabriela Drechsler (; ; born 16 December 1964) is a German former track and field athlete who represented East Germany and later Germany. One of the most successful long jumpers of all-time, she is a former world record holder and ranks ...

(GDR) twice equals the world record in the women's

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 ...

held by countrywoman Marita Koch since 1979-06-10, clocking 21.71 seconds on 1986-06-29 and 1986-08-29.''

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

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

Javelin (old design)

Heptathlon

Marathon

Year Rankings

Men

Women

National Champions

International Races

Births

* January 5 — Roman Novotný, Czech long jumper * January 11 —

Claudio Licciardello Claudio Licciardello (born 11 January 1986 in Catania) is a track and field sprinter from Italy, who specializes in the 400 metres. His personal best time is 45.25 seconds, achieved in the heats at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. Biography At the ...

, Italian sprinter * January 15 —

Mariya Abakumova Mariya Vasiliyevna Abakumova (russian: Мария Васильевна Абакумова; born 15 January 1986) is a Russian former track and field athlete who competed in the javelin throw. Career Abakumova discovered her love for athletics ...

, Russian javelin thrower * January 17 — Sherry Fletcher, Grenadian sprinter * January 23 —

Gelete Burka Gelete Burka Bati (sometimes misspelled ''Burika'', Oromo: Galate Burqaa Baati, Amharic: ገለቴ ቡርቃ; born 23 January 1986) is an Ethiopian middle-distance and long-distance runner. She was born in Kofele in the Arsi Zone of the Oromi ...

, Ethiopian middle-distance runner * January 24 —

Montell Douglas Montell Marcelle Douglas (born 24 January 1986) is a British sportswoman. Originally a sprinter and former British record holder for the 100 metres at 11.05 seconds. In 2016, she took up bobsleigh and became part of the Great Britain women's tw ...

, British sprinter * January 31 —

Walter Dix Walter Dix (born January 31, 1986) is a retired American sprinter who specialized in the 100 meters and 200 meters. He is the sixth-fastest 200-meter runner ever with a best of 19.53 seconds, and has broken the 10-second barrier in the 10 ...

, American sprinter * February 11 — Bob Altena, Dutch decathlete * April 1 —

Yurika Nakamura (born 1 April 1986 in Fukuchiyama) is a Japanese long-distance runner. Nakamura grew up in the Hyōgo Prefecture. She finished seventh at the 2006 World Road Running Championships, helping the Japanese team win the bronze medal in the team co ...

, Japanese long-distance runner * April 2 — Moses Aliwa, Ugandan long-distance runner * April 4 — Evelyne Nganga, Kenyan long-distance runner * April 29 — Ingus Janevics, Latvian race walker * May 2 — Samuel Muturi Mugo, Kenyan long-distance runner * May 16 — Eleni Artymata, Cypriot sprinter * June 3 —

Micah Kogo Micah Kemboi Kogo (born 3 June 1986 in Burnt Forest, Uasin Gishu District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner, who specialises in the 10,000 metres. He is the former world record holder in the 10 kilometres road race event with a time of ...

, Kenyan long-distance runner * June 8 — Yadira Guamán, Ecuadorian race walker * June 10 — Amr Ibrahim Mostafa Seoud, Egyptian sprinter * June 27 —

LaShawn Merritt LaShawn Merritt (born June 27, 1986) is an American track and field athlete who competes in sprinting events, specializing in the 400 metres. He is a former Olympic champion over the distance and his personal best of 43.65 seconds makes him th ...

, American sprinter * July 3 — Robina Muqimyar, Afghan sprinter * July 17 — Viktor Kuznyetsov, Ukrainian long jumper and triple jumper * July 19 —

Philes Ongori Philes Moora Ongori (born 19 July 1986 in Chironge, Kiamokama, in Kisii District) is a Kenyan long-distance runner who competes in half marathon and marathon events. Her early career was based in Japan and she won a number of All-Japan Corpor ...

, Kenyan long-distance runner * July 26 —

Mattias Claesson Mattias Claesson (born 26 July 1986) is a Swedish male middle-distance runner who specializes in the 800 metres. He finished fourth in the 4 × 400 metres relay at the 2006 IAAF World Indoor Championships, with teammates Joni Jaako, Johan ...

, Swedish middle-distance runner * July 26 — Angela Moroșanu, Romanian sprinter * July 28 — Nancy Wambui, Kenyan long-distance runner * July 28 —

Nickiesha Wilson Nickiesha Wilson (born 28 July 1986 in Kingston) is a hurdler from Jamaica. She competes in the 100 m hurdles and the 400 m hurdles. Currently her 100 m hurdles personal best is 12.79 achieved at Szczecin, Poland in 2009. She ran a personal ...

, Jamaican hurdler * August 3 — Fartun Abukar Omar, Somali athlete * August 21 —

Usain Bolt Usain St. Leo Bolt, , (; born 21 August 1986) is a retired Jamaican sprinter, widely considered to be the greatest sprinter of all time. He is the world record holder in the 100 metres, 200 metres, and 4 × 100 metres relay. An eight-ti ...

, Jamaican sprinter * August 29 — Yerefu Birhanu, Ethiopian long-distance runner * September 9 —

Daniel Bailey Daniel Bakka Everton Bailey (born 9 September 1986) is a sprinter from Antigua and Barbuda who specializes in the 100m. Career Bailey represented Antigua and Barbuda at the 2004 Summer Olympics, the 2006 Commonwealth Games, the 2008 Summer Ol ...

, Antigua and Barbuda sprinter * November 1 —

Ksenija Balta Ksenija Balta (born 1 November 1986) is an Estonian long jumper, sprinter and heptathlete. She won the long jump at the 2009 European Indoor Championships in Athletics. Career Balta finished 14th in pentathlon at the 2005 European Indoor Champ ...

, Estonian long jumper, sprinter and heptathlete * November 10 —

Samuel Wanjiru Samuel Kamau Wanjiru (10 November 1986 – 15 May 2011) was a Kenyan long-distance runner who won the 2008 Beijing Olympics Marathon in an Olympic record time of 2:06:32; becoming the first Kenyan to win the Olympic gold in the marathon. He beca ...

, Kenyan long-distance runner * November 13 —

Sergey Bakulin Sergey Vasilyevich Bakulin (russian: Серге́й Васильевич Бакулин; born 13 November 1986 in Insar, Mordvin ASSR) is a male race walker from Russia. Biography He was originally the 2011 World Champion in the 50 kilometre ...

, Russian race walker * November 21 — Aleksandra Zelenina, Moldovan long and triple jumper * December 7 —

Olga Mikhaylova Olga Mikhaylova (born December 7, 1986) is a racewalking, race walker from Russia. Achievements External links

* 1986 births Living people Russian female racewalkers Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) FISU World Un ...

, Russian race walker

Deaths

*April 13 — Sulo Bärlund (75), Finnish shot putter (b. 1910)

References

1986 Year Rankings

{{DEFAULTSORT:1986 In Athletics (Track And Field) Athletics (track and field) by year