This article contains an overview of the sport of athletics, including track and field

Track and field

Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...

, cross country

Cross country running

Cross country running is a sport in which people run a race on open-air courses over natural terrain. The course, typically long, may include surfaces of grass and earth, pass through woodlands and open country, and include hills, flat ground and sometimes gravel road...

 and road running

Road running

Road running is the sport of running on a measured course over an established road . These events would be classified as long distance according to athletics terminology, with distances typically ranging from 5 kilometers to 42.2 kilometers in the marathon. They may involve large numbers of runners...

, in the year 2001

2001 in sports

2001 in sports describes the year's events in world sport.-Alpine skiing:* Alpine Skiing World Cup** Men's overall season champion: Hermann Maier, Austria** Women's overall season champion: Janica Kostelić, Croatia-American football:...

.

The foremost competition of the season was the 2001 World Championships in Athletics

2001 World Championships in Athletics

The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...

 in Edmonton

Edmonton

Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...

, Canada. The 2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships

2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships

The 8th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Pavilhão Atlântico in Lisbon, Portugal from March 9 to March 11 2001. It was the first time the Championships had been held in Portugal...

 was the second major track and field event that year.

World

• World Championships
  2001 World Championships in Athletics
  The 8th World Championships in Athletics, under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations, were held at the Commonwealth Stadium, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between 3 August and 12 August and was the first time the event had visited North America...
  
  
• World Cross Country Championships
  2001 IAAF World Cross Country Championships
  The 29th IAAF World Cross Country Championships were held 24–25 March 2001 in Ostend, Belgium.- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :- Individual :- Team :...
  
  
• World Half Marathon Championships
  2001 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships
  The 10th IAAF World Half Marathon Championships was held on October 7, 2001 in the city of Bristol, UK, and was run simultaneously with that year's Bristol Half Marathon. A total of 200 athletes, 125 men and 75 women, from 52 countries took part.-Individual:...
  
  
• Grand Prix Final
  2001 IAAF Grand Prix Final
  The 17th IAAF Grand Prix Final was held at the Olympic Park Stadium in Melbourne, Australia on September 9, 2001.- Men :- Women :- External links :*...
  
  

• World Indoor Championships
  2001 IAAF World Indoor Championships
  The 8th IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics were held at the Pavilhão Atlântico in Lisbon, Portugal from March 9 to March 11 2001. It was the first time the Championships had been held in Portugal...
  
  
• World Youth Championships
  2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics
  The 2001 World Youth Championships in Athletics was the second edition of the World Youth Championships in Athletics. It was held in Debrecen, Hungary from July 12 to July 15, 2001. -Boys:-Girls:-Medals table:...
  
  
• World Student Games
  Athletics at the 2001 Summer Universiade
  At the 2001 Summer Universiade, the athletics events were held in Beijing, People's Republic of China. A total of 45 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 22 by female athletes. The host country, China, took the most gold medals and the most medals overall . The United States were a close...
  
  
• Goodwill Games
  Athletics at the 2001 Goodwill Games
  At the 2001 Goodwill Games, the athletics events were held at the ANZ Stadium in Brisbane, Australia from 4–7 September. A total of 44 events were contested, with 22 events each for male and female athletes.-Records:-Men:-Women:-Medal table:...
  
  

Regional

• African Junior Championships
• Asian Cross Country Championships
• East Asian Games
  Athletics at the 2001 East Asian Games
  At the 2001 East Asian Games, the athletics events were held in Osaka, Japan from 23 to 26 May 2001. A total of 45 events were contested, of which 23 by male and 22 by female athletes. All events were held at the Nagai Stadium, with the exception of the racewalking and half marathon events...
  
  
• Maccabiah Games
• Southeast Asian Games

• Balkan Games
• European Cup
• European Junior Championships
  2001 European Athletics Junior Championships
  The 2001 European Athletics Junior Championships was an athletics competition for athletes under-20 which was held at the Stadio Olimpico Carlo Zecchini in Grosseto, Italy from 19 – 22 July 2001. A total of 44 events were contested, 22 by male and 22 by female athletes...
  
  
• European U23 Championships
  2001 European Athletics U23 Championships
  The 2001 European Athletics U23 Championships is the 2001 version of the European Athletics U23 Championships. It was held in the Dutch city of Amsterdam.-Men's Results:-Women's Results:-Medals table:- References :*...
  
  
• European Cross Country Championships
  2001 European Cross Country Championships
  The 8th European Cross Country Championships were held at Thun in Switzerland on 9 December 2001. Serhiy Lebid took his second title in the men's competition and Yamna Belkacem won the women's race.-Men individual 9.15km:Total 77 competitors-Men teams:...
  
  
• European Race Walking Cup
  2001 European Race Walking Cup
  The fourth edition of the European Race Walking Cup took place in the Slovak city of Dudince on Saturday May 19, 2001.-Abbreviations:*All times shown are in hours:minutes:seconds-20 km walk:-50 km walk:-20 km walk:-References:****...
  
  
• Island Games
• Mediterranean Games
  Athletics at the 2001 Mediterranean Games
  At the 2001 Mediterranean Games, the athletics events were held in Tunis and Radès in Tunisia from 11 to 14 September 2001. Italy topped the medal table with 9 gold medals and 30 medals in total, shortly followed by France which also had 9 golds but 23 medals overall. Greece had the next greatest...
  
  

• Bolivarian Games
• CAC Championships
  2001 Central American and Caribbean Championships in Athletics
  The 2001 Central American Championships in Athletics were held in Guatemala City, Guatemala.-Men's events:-Women's events:A = affected by altitude-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...
  
  
• Central American Games
• Jeux de la Francophonie
  Athletics at the 2001 Jeux de la Francophonie
  At the 2001 Jeux de la Francophonie, the athletics events were held at Terry Fox Stadium in Ottawa, Canada between 14–23 July 2001. A total of 47 events were contested, of which 24 by male and 23 by female athletes. Included in this were two disability athletics events for wheelchair racers...
  
  
• Pan American Junior Championships
• South American Championships
  2001 South American Championships in Athletics
  The 2001 South American Championships in Athletics were held at the Vila Olímpica in Manaus, Brazil, from May 18-20.-Men's events:-Women's events:-Medal table:-External links:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...
  
  

National

• China National Games
  Athletics at the 10th National Games of the People's Republic of China
  At the 10th National Games of the People's Republic of China, the athletics events were held at the Nanjing Olympic Sports Center in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, PR China from 17 to 22 October 2005. A total of 46 events were contested, 24 by male and 22 by female athletes...
  
  
• Lithuanian Athletics Championships
  2001 Lithuanian Athletics Championships
  The 2001 Lithuanian Athletics Championships were held at the S. Darius and S. Girėnas Stadium in Kaunas from July 3 to July 4, 2001.- Men :- Women :- Medals by city:...
  
  

Men

2001 TRACK & FIELD AWARDS	ATHLETE
IAAF World Athlete of the Year IAAF World Athlete of the Year The IAAF Athlete of the Year award is a prize that can be won by athletes participating in events within the sport of athletics organised by the International Athletic Foundation of the International Association of Athletics Federations , including track and field, cross country running, road...
Track & Field Athlete of the Year Track & Field Athlete of the Year The Track & Field Athlete of the Year award is given to track and field athletes by Track & Field News magazine. A panel of international track and field experts organized by the magazine selects the winners. The award has been given to men since 1959 and women since 1974.-Winners:-External links:*...
European Athlete of the Year Award European Athlete of the Year Award The European Athlete of the Year Trophy is an annual prize awarded to sportspeople participating in athletics, including track and field, road running and cross country running competitions...
Best Male Track Athlete ESPY Award Best Male Track Athlete ESPY Award The Best Male Track Athlete ESPY Award was presented annually between 1993 and 2006 to the male track and field athlete, irrespective of nationality, adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year...

Women

2001 TRACK & FIELD AWARDS	ATHLETE
IAAF World Athlete of the Year IAAF World Athlete of the Year The IAAF Athlete of the Year award is a prize that can be won by athletes participating in events within the sport of athletics organised by the International Athletic Foundation of the International Association of Athletics Federations , including track and field, cross country running, road...
Track & Field Athlete of the Year Track & Field Athlete of the Year The Track & Field Athlete of the Year award is given to track and field athletes by Track & Field News magazine. A panel of international track and field experts organized by the magazine selects the winners. The award has been given to men since 1959 and women since 1974.-Winners:-External links:*...
European Athlete of the Year Award European Athlete of the Year Award The European Athlete of the Year Trophy is an annual prize awarded to sportspeople participating in athletics, including track and field, road running and cross country running competitions...
Best Female Track Athlete ESPY Award Best Female Track Athlete ESPY Award The Best Female Track Athlete ESPY Award was presented annually between 1993 and 2006 to the female track and field athlete, irrespective of nationality, adjudged to be the best in a given calendar year...

400m Hurdles

Hurdling

Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...

RANK	2001 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.		47.38
2.		47.54
3.		47.89
4.		47.95
5.		47.99

3,000m Steeplechase

Steeplechase (athletics)

The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.-Rules:The length of the race is usually 3000 m; junior events are 2000 m, as women's events formerly were. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. Over 3000 m, each...

RANK	2001 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.		7:55.28
2.		7:57.29
3.		7:58.66
4.		8:01.69
5.		8:01.73

Pole Vault

Pole vault

Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...

RANK	2001 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	HEIGHT
1.		6.05 m
2.		5.91 m
3.		5.90 m
5.		5.86 m

100 metres

100 metres

The 100 metres, or 100-metre dash, is a sprint race in track and field competitions. The shortest common outdoor running distance, it is one of the most popular and prestigious events in the sport of athletics. It has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896...

RANK	2001 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.		10.82
2.		10.91
3.		10.95
4.		10.98

200 metres

200 metres

A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...

RANK	2001 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.		22.39
3.		22.54
5.		22.57

Half Marathon

Half marathon

A half marathon is a road running event of . It is half the distance of a marathon and usually run on roads. Participation in half marathons has grown steadily recently. One of the main reasons for this is that it is a challenging distance, but does not require the same level of training that a...

RANK	2001 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.		1:06:47

100m Hurdles

Hurdling

Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...

RANK	2001 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.		12.42
2.		12.53
3.		12.57
4.		12.58

400m Hurdles

Hurdling

Hurdling is a type of track and field race.- Distances :There are sprint hurdle races and long hurdle races. The standard sprint hurdle race is 110 meters for men and 100 meters for women. The standard long hurdle race is 400 meters for both men and women...

RANK	2001 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.		53.34
2.		53.81
3.		53.84
4.		53.88
5.		53.89

3,000m Steeplechase

Steeplechase (athletics)

The steeplechase is an obstacle race in athletics, which derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing.-Rules:The length of the race is usually 3000 m; junior events are 2000 m, as women's events formerly were. The circuit has four ordinary barriers and one water jump. Over 3000 m, each...

RANK	2001 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	TIME
1.		9:44.36
2.		9:44.68
3.		9:45.92
4.		9:49.41
5.		9:49.73

High Jump

High jump

The high jump is a track and field athletics event in which competitors must jump over a horizontal bar placed at measured heights without the aid of certain devices in its modern most practiced format; auxiliary weights and mounds have been used for assistance; rules have changed over the years....

RANK	2001 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	HEIGHT
1.		2.04 m
2.		2.03 m
3.		2.01 m
4.		2.00 m

Pole Vault

Pole vault

Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...

RANK	2001 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	HEIGHT
1.		4.81 m
2.		4.75 m
3.		4.61 m
5.		4.60 m

Heptathlon

Heptathlon

A heptathlon is a track and field athletics combined events contest made up of seven events. The name derives from the Greek hepta and athlon . A competitor in a heptathlon is referred to as a heptathlete.-Women's Heptathlon:...

RANK	2001 WORLD BEST PERFORMERS	POINTS
1.		6736
2.		6694
3.		6551
4.		6539
5.		6528

Deaths

• March 31 — Diego García
  Diego García (athlete)
  Diego García Corrales was a long-distance athlete from Spain, who finished in 9th position in the men's marathon at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Four years later, when Atlanta, Georgia hosted the Games, he ended up in 53rd place, clocking 2:22:11...
  
   (39), Spanish long-distance runner (b. 1961)
• August 15 — Richard Chelimo
  Richard Chelimo
  Richard Chelimo was a Kenyan athlete, and a former world and world junior record holder over 10,000 m...
  
   (29), Kenyan athlete (b. 1972)
• October 18 — Micheline Ostermeyer
  Micheline Ostermeyer
  Micheline Ostermeyer was a French athlete and concert pianist.A great-niece of the French author Victor Hugo, and a niece of the composer Lucien Paroche, Ostermeyer, who was Jewish, was born in Rang-du-Fliers, Pas-de-Calais...
  
  (78), French athlete (b. 1922)