Your complete guide to athletics at the Olympics including full schedule of when the events start, dates, times, details about each competition and more.

By Michael Potts

Published: Monday, 26 July 2021 at 12:00 am


Athletics events are among the most iconic of every Olympic Games and Tokyo 2020 is gearing up to begin the track and field events this week.

From 100m sprinters to shot put warriors, from marathon runners to triple jumpers, there’s something for everyone in the athletics and the action will be beamed live to your TV screen for 10 days straight very soon.

There are 48 medals in total up for grabs across the men’s and women’s disciplines as well as the return of the inventive mixed 4x400m relay which could be a real crowd-pleaser this time around.

Usain Bolt, Jess Ennis-Hill and Mo Farah may no longer be competing, but watch out for a host of fresh superstars ready to etch their names in the history books.

Dina Asher-Smith and Katarina Johnson-Thompson are among the next-gen Team GB sensations ready to step up on the biggest stage of all.

Andre De Grasse, Noah Lyles and Sydney McLaughlin will be determined to boost their reputations from star athletes to iconic household names over the coming weeks.

RadioTimes.com brings you up to speed with everything you need to know about athletics at the Olympic Games 2020 in Tokyo, taking place in the summer of 2021.

When do the athletics start in the Olympics?

Athletics events start on Friday 30th July and run until Sunday 8th August.

There will be 10 complete days of athletics with the full range 0f track and field events coming up. Medal finals will take place throughout each of the days.

Check out our guide on how to watch Olympics 2020 or see Olympics on TV today for more details, timings, and exclusive expert analysis from some of the biggest names in world sport over the coming weeks.

Sir Chris Hoy, Beth Tweddle, Rebecca Adlington, Matthew Pinsent and Dame Jess Ennis-Hill are among the stars we have to being their esteemed opinions, so don’t miss what they have to say.

What events are in Olympics athletics?

100m

Women: Heats (morning, 30th Jul), Finals (evening, 31st July)

Men: Prelims (morning, 31st Jul), Heats (evening, 31st Jul), Finals (evening, 1st Aug)

200m

Women: Heats (evening, 2nd Jul), Finals (evening, 3rd Aug)

Men: Heats (morning, 3rd Aug), Finals (evening, 4th Aug)

400m

Women: Heats (morning, 3rd Aug), Finals (evening, 6th Aug)

Men: Heats (morning, 1st Aug), Finals (evening, 5th Aug)

800m

Women: Heats (morning, 30th Jul), Finals (evening, 3rd Aug)

Men: Heats (morning, 31st Jul), Finals (evening, 4th Aug)

1500m

Women: Heats (morning, 2nd Aug), Finals (evening, 6th Aug)

Men: Heats (morning, 3rd Aug), Finals (evening, 7th Aug)

5000m

Women: Heats (evening, 30th Jul), Finals (evening, 2nd Aug)

Men: Heats (evening, 3rd Aug), Finals (evening, 6th Aug)

10,000m

Women: Evening, 7th Aug

Men: Evening, 30th Jul

110m hurdles

Women: Heats (morning, 31st Jul), Finals (morning, 2nd Aug)

Men: Heats (evening, 3rd Jul), Finals (morning, 5th Aug)

400m hurdles

Women: Heats (morning, 31st Jul), Finals (morning, 4th Aug)

Men: Heats (morning, 30th Jul), Finals (morning, 3rd Aug)

3000m steeplechase

Women: Heats (morning, 1st Aug), Finals (evening, 4th Aug)

Men: Heats (morning, 30th Jul), Finals (evening, 2nd Aug)

4x100m relay

Women: Heats (morning, 5th Aug), Finals (evening, 6th Aug)

Men: Heats (morning, 5th Aug), Finals (evening, 6th Aug)

4x400m relay

Women: Heats (evening, 5th Aug), Finals (evening, 7th Aug)

Men: Heats (evening, 6th Aug), Finals (evening, 7th Aug)

Mixed: Heats (evening, 30th Jul), Finals (evening, 31st Jul)

Marathon

Women: Morning, 7th Aug

Men: Morning, 8th Aug

20km walk

Women: Evening, 6th Aug

Men: Evening, 5th Aug

50km walk

Men: Morning, 6th Aug

Long jump

Women: Qualifying (morning, 1st Aug), Finals (morning, 3rd Aug)

Men: Qualifying (evening, 31st July), Finals (morning, 2nd Aug)

Triple jump

Women: Qualifying (evening, 30th Jul), Finals (evening, 1st Aug)

Men: Qualifying (morning, 3rd Aug), Finals (morning, 5th Aug)

High jump

Women: Qualifying (morning, 5th Aug), Finals (evening, 7th Aug)

Men: Qualifying (morning, 30th Jul), Finals (evening, 1st Aug)

Pole vault

Women: Qualifying (evening, 2nd Aug), Finals (evening, 5th Aug)

Men: Qualifying (morning, 31st Jul), Finals (evening, 3rd Aug)

Shot put

Women: Qualifying (evening, 30th Jul), Finals (morning, 1st Aug)

Men: Qualifying (evening, 3rd Aug), Finals (morning, 5th Aug)

Discus throw

Women: Qualifying (morning, 31st Jul), Finals (evening, 2nd Aug)

Men: Qualifying (morning, 30th Jul), Finals (evening, 31st Jul)

Javelin throw

Women: Qualifying (morning, 3rd Aug), Finals (evening, 6th Aug)

Men: Qualifying (morning, 4th Aug), Finals (evening, 7th Aug)

Hammer throw

Women: Qualifying (morning, 1st Aug), Finals (evening, 3rd Aug)

Men: Qualifying (morning, 2nd Aug), Finals (evening, 4th Aug)

Heptathlon

Women: 4th-5th Aug

Decathlon

Men: 4th-5th Aug

Team GB athletics team/athletes competing

Team GB boast a wide and varied range of athletes competing in the track and field events at Tokyo 2020.

Expect the British female sprinters to enjoy their trip to Tokyo with Dina Asher-Smith leading the way in the individual events and a deep stable of talent to pick from in the 4x100m relay.

Laura Muir and Katarina Johnson-Thompson are the next hottest prospects to add golds to the haul of Team GB medals 2021.

We’ve listed a few names to look out for:

Dina Asher-Smith: women’s 100m, 200m and 4x100m

Katarina Johnson-Thompson: women’s heptathlon

Tom Bosworth: Athletics: men’s 20km race walk

Holly Bradshaw: women’s pole vault

Adam Gemili: men’s 200m and 4x100m

Zharnel Hughes: men’s 100m and 4x100m

Richard Kilty: men’s 4x100m

Imani-Lara Lansiquot: women’s 4x100m

Andrew Pozzi: men’s 110m hurdles

Laura Muir: women’s 1,500m

Daryll Neita: women’s 100m and 4x100m

Lawrence Okoye: men’s discus

Asha Philip: women’s 100m and 4x100m

Jemma Reekie: women’s 800m

Chijindu Ujah: men’s 100m and 4x100m

Jake Wightman: men’s 1,500m

If you’re looking for something else to watch check out our TV Guide or visit our Sport hub for all the latest news.