Specifications relating to hurdle events in the Summer Olympics

In the Olympic 100, 110 and 400 meter hurdle events, athletes must clear ten hurdles in a row throughout the course of the race. In the 3,000 meter steeplechase events, athletes must complete approximately 7.5 laps of the track, clearing four standard hurdles and one water barrier in each complete lap (making 35 jumps in total). The 400m and steeplechase hurdles both use the same heights of 91.4cm in men's events, and 76.2cm in women's events, whereas the sprint hurdles use heights of 106.7cm and 83.8cm respectively. The height of the men's hurdles in the 110m event mean that it is more difficult for male athletes to reach their top speed than for female or 400m hurdle runners, and male 110m hurdlers actually run at a slower speed than their 400m counterparts.

Changing hurdle design

Another contributing factor for this is the relatively short distances between the sprint hurdles, which are set at just 9.14 meters for men, and 8.5 meters for women. The distances between the hurdles in the 400m events are much larger, with 35 meters between each, allowing athletes to build up more momentum between each jump. In early Olympic tournaments, hurdles were much heavier, which often caused injuries to the athletes if they knocked into the wooden frames. As years progressed, hurdles were made of more lightweight materials and the legs were made L shaped; therefore falling forward more easily and reducing the probability of injuries. In earlier years, there were also penalties for knocking over hurdles, however athletes can now knock over all hurdles without punishment (although this will slow them down).

Steeplechase

In the Men and Women's 3,000 meter Steeplechase events, athletes do not have to make their first jump until more than half way through their first lap. The five hurdles are evenly spread throughout the track, although there are no designated measurements for their placement, and this decision is left up to the event organizers. One of the reasons for this is the implementation of the water jump; this jump includes a slight, 30cm slope leading up to the jump, and the athletes land in a water pit that measures 3.66 long and 70cm at its deepest point (before gradually sloping upwards). The water jump is sometimes built into the track, or included on an offshoot, inside lane, which brings the track's length down to 390 meters, therefore changing the position of the finishing line. Unlike those used in the sprint and 400m hurdle event, barriers in the Steeplechase use T shaped supports; this means that they do not fall over when knocked, and instead, athletes can even stand on the beams (which offer a 12.7cm platform) to propel themselves forwards.