USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
Current season, competition or edition: 2015 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships |
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Sport | Track and field |
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Founded | 1980 |
Country | United States |
Related competitions | U.S. Olympic Trials |
Official website | USATF Official website |
The USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since 1992, in years which feature a Summer Olympics or a World Championships in Athletics, the championships serve as a way of selecting the best athletes for those competitions.
Contents
History
The history of the competition starts in 1876, when the New York Athletic Club (NYAC) decided to organize a national championships.[1] Having previously held the NYAC Spring and Fall Games, the seventh edition of the Fall Games became the country's first national track and field championships. The National Association of Amateur Athletes of America (NAAAA), began sponsoring the meeting in 1879, and organised the championships up to 1887. At this point, the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), a more powerful athletic organisation, began to hold their own version of the national championships. Two national championships were held in 1888, but the NAAAA disbanded after this. The AAU was the sole organizer of the event for the next ninety years.[1]
As a result of the Amateur Sports Act of 1978, the AAU no longer had power over Olympic sports in the United States. A spin-off group, The Athletics Congress, held its first national track and field championships in 1980. The Athletics Congress was renamed USA Track & Field in 1993, and they have organized the annual championships ever since.[1]
Events
The following athletics events are currently featured on the national championships' program:
- Sprint: 100 m, 200 m, 400 m
- Middle distance track events: 800 m, 1500 m
- Long distance track events: 5000 m, 10,000 m
- Hurdles: 100 m hurdles, 110 m hurdles, 400 m hurdles, 3000 m steeplechase
- Jumps: long jump, triple jump, high jump, pole vault
- Throws: shot put, discus, hammer, javelin
- Combined events: heptathlon, decathlon
- Walks: 20 km walk (road) / 20000 m walk (track)
In earlier editions before 1974, running distances were often measured in yards. All races were in yards until 1928. From then on, races were measured in meters for Olympic years and yards for other years, except 1933 to 1951 inclusive and 1959.
Editions
Split gender editions
Note that the track surface changed over these years. Synthetic tracks were used in the men's editions in 1963 (rubber), 1965, 1969, 1971, 1972 and from 1974 on. The tracks in the other years were cinders, sometimes with a mix of brick (1967 and 1970)
Records
Most successful athletes
By event
See also
- USA Indoor Track and Field Championships
- United States Olympic Trials (track and field)
- USA Marathon Championships
- USA Half Marathon Championships
- USA Cross Country Championships
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 The United States' National Championships In Track & Field Athletics: Introduction. Track and Field News. Retrieved on 2009-09-19.
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- ↑ USA Outdoor Track & Field Championships Records. USATF (2007-01-01). Retrieved 2009-09-28.
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- ↑ USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions Men's 1,500 m. USATF. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
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- ↑ USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions Women's Pole Vault. USATF. Retrieved 2009-09-28.
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- ↑ USA Outdoor Track & Field Champions Men's Javelin Throw. USATF. Retrieved on 2009-09-28.
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- Champions
- United States Championships (Women). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-28.
- United States Championships (Men 1876-1942). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-28.
- United States Championships (Men 1943-). GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2015-06-28.
External links
- All articles with links needing disambiguation
- Articles with links needing disambiguation from February 2014
- Track and field competitions in the United States
- United States athletics (track and field) championships
- National championships in the United States
- National athletics competitions
- Recurring sporting events established in 1876
- USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships