Why do athletics events attract the interest of fans?

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It’s no news that football, basketball and volleyball are some of the big games in the sporting industry. However, athletics events are also at the top of the list for sports that attract the most fans. These games may not be as popular as their field counterparts, but a sizeable populace follows them.

Various events are tagged “athletics,” each involving some piece of walking, running, jumping, or throwing. These competitions are further broken down into the sub-sports of cross-country running, race walking, and track and field.

The most popular athletics competitions owe much of their current format to the Summer Olympics. When it comes to world championship competitions, the most important one is the World Athletics Championships because it features so many activities at the highest level. Such big competitions are one reason athletics is a significant draw for many individuals. There are a few other reasons why these events are well-liked; we shall explore them in this write-up.

Athletics: The epitome of individual work ethic

Sprinters, throwers, jumpers and runners go through hurdles to stay on the highest level of their game and achieve their goals. In a project by Ashley Samson, she discovered that runners employ different mental strategies and breathing techniques to cope with the pain. Besides coping mechanisms, athletes cling to their motivation from family, friends, and fans.

Since 1896, countless athletes have made their mark and won the hearts of fans all over the globe. Here are some of them:

Paavo Nurmi

Nurmi went undefeated in the 10,000 metres he ran throughout his entire running career and set 22 world records spanning distances from 1500 metres to the marathon. During his prime, Nurmi won 121 consecutive races for 800 metres and longer. The number of world records this American holds is more than double that of Ethiopian legend Haile Gebrselassie.

Edwin Moses

Only a few athletes have maintained a winning streak as long as Edwin Moses has. Moses won 122 straight races between 1977 and 1987. Moses was unbeatable in a 400m hurdles competition for 9 years, 9 months and 9 days. Moses also broke his world record four times during this time, with his best time being 47.02 seconds.

Sergey Bubka

Bubka set 35 world records in the pole vault during his career. Also, Bubka amassed eleven titles in the Olympics and the World Championships, and he was the first pole vaulter to clear 6.10 metres. Since…