Track and field -- also referred to as athletics -- is known as the originating Olympic sport, dating back to 776 B.C. when the first Olympic Games were held in the Valley of Olympia along the coast of the Greek peninsula.
The first -- and only -- event held at those Games was a "stadion race," which is a 200-meter footrace. A cook named Coroebus of Elis was known as the first Olympic champion after winning the sprint. He received an olive branch as the prize.
What started with one competition has evolved to 48 events at the 2024 Summer Games, marking the first time in Olympic history there's been an equal number for men and women. Track and field is also the largest Olympic sport.
Here's everything you need to know about track and field.
When were track and field events at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Track and field began on Thursday, Aug. 1, with the men's 20km race walk and concluded on Sunday, Aug. 11, with the women's marathon.
Where did track and field events take place at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Track and field events were held at multiple venues. The main track and field events took place at Stade de France, with marathon events at Hôtel de Ville. The 20km race walk events started from the iconic Eiffel Tower at the Trocadéro.
What is the Olympic track and field format?
Track events have athletes compete in their own races called heats. Winners of each heat automatically qualify for the next round followed by the next best times.
Races over 5,000 meters and multievents such as the decathlon and heptathlon compete only in a final.
For multis, the men compete in the decathlon, which features 10 events, while the women compete for a medal in the heptathlon with seven events.
For field events, competitors must jump or throw a qualification distance to advance to the final. However, if fewer than 12 athletes achieve the qualifying mark, the 12 athletes with the best marks in the preliminary round advance to the final.
The Olympics added repechage rounds in the 2024 Summer Games, meaning that if an athlete doesn't qualify by place in the first round, they'll have a second opportunity to qualify for the semifinals in the repechage heat.
The top three finishers in each event receive gold, silver or bronze medals.
Who were the top athletes on Team USA at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Sha'Carri Richardson
Gabby Thomas
Masai Russell
Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
Tara Davis-Woodhall
Raven Saunders
Anna Hall
Noah Lyles
Quincy Hall
Michael Norman
Grant Holloway
Rai Benjamin
Sam Kendricks
Jeremiah Davis
Ryan Crouser
Christian Coleman
Full roster can be found here.