Track and field rules

The rules that decide a result: legal wind, false starts, attempts in the field events, tie-breaks, the jump rules and the world records. Each answer cites the World Athletics rule book.

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8 answers

What wind is legal in track and field?A tailwind up to +2.0 metres per second is legal for records and best marks in the sprints up to 200m, the hurdles up to 110m, the long jump and the triple jump. Anything over +2.0 is wind-aided. Inside a combined event the limit is +4.0.
What is a false start in track?A false start is leaving the blocks before the gun, or reacting faster than 0.100 seconds after it. Under World Athletics rules the athlete responsible is disqualified on the first false start.
How many attempts do you get in the long jump and throws?Under World Athletics rules each athlete gets three attempts, and the best eight after three get three more, six in all. With eight or fewer athletes, everyone gets six. Many school and club meets use three or four.
How are ties broken in the high jump and pole vault?The athlete with fewer attempts at the last height both cleared places higher. If still tied, the one with fewer failures in the whole competition places higher. A tie for first place then goes to a jump-off.
What do PR, PB, SB, w and h mean in track results?PR (personal record) and PB (personal best) mean the same thing: an athlete's best ever mark in an event. SB is a season best. A w marks a wind-aided mark, h a hand time, A a mark at altitude, i an indoor mark and NWI a mark with no wind reading.
What is the 100m world record?The men's 100m world record is 9.58 by Usain Bolt, Berlin, 16 August 2009. The women's is 10.49 by Florence Griffith-Joyner, Indianapolis, 16 July 1988.
What are the rules of the long jump?Take off from the board without touching the ground beyond the take-off line. The jump is measured from that line to the nearest mark in the sand made by any part of the body. The best valid jump wins.
What are the rules of the triple jump?A triple jump is a hop, a step and a jump: the hop lands on the take-off foot, the step on the other foot, and the jump lands in the sand. It is measured like the long jump, from the take-off line.