| 2012 in athletics | |
| No. Of World Records: | 12 |
| Iaaf Athletes Of The Year: | Usain Bolt Allyson Felix |
| World Marathon Majors Winners: | Geoffrey Mutai Mary Jepkosgei Keitany |
| Previous: | 2011 |
| Next: | 2013 |
| Year: | 2012 in sports |
In 2012 the foremost competition in athletics was the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. The International Association of Athletics Federations held four other global level competitions in 2012: the 2012 IAAF World Indoor Championships, 2012 IAAF World Race Walking Cup, 2012 World Junior Championships in Athletics and the 2012 IAAF World Half Marathon Championships.[1]
For the first time since 1945, there was no global level championship for cross country running, as the IAAF World Cross Country Championships moved to a biennial format.[2] Three of the major continental championships were held a month prior to the London Olympics: the 2012 African Championships in Athletics, 2012 European Athletics Championships and 2012 Oceania Athletics Championships.
The Diamond League entered its third year as the foremost seasonal track and field series.
| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Meeting | Place | Date | Ref | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 400 m hurdles (indoor) | Felix Sánchez | 48.78[3] | Meeting National Val-de-Reuil |  Val-de-Reuil, France | 18 February | [4] [5] | ||
| Heptathlon (Indoor) | Ashton Eaton | 6645 pts | World Championships |  Istanbul, Turkey | 9–10 March 2012 | [6] | ||
| 800 metres | David Rudisha | 1:40.91 | Olympic Games |  London, Great Britain | 9 August 2012 | [7] | ||
| 25 km (road) | Dennis Kipruto Kimetto | 1:11:18 | BIG 25 | Berlin, Germany | 6 May 2012 | [8] [9] | ||
| 110 m hurdles | Aries Merritt | 12.80 | Memorial Van Damme |  Brussels, Belgium | 7 September 2012 | [10] | ||
| 4 × 100 m relay | Nesta Carter Michael Frater Yohan Blake Usain Bolt | 36.84 | Olympic Games | London, Great Britain | 11 August 2012 | [11] | ||
| Decathlon | Ashton Eaton | 9039 pts | United States Olympic Trials |  Eugene, United States | 22–23 June 2012 | [12] |
| Event | Athlete | Nation | Performance | Meeting | Place | Date | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 m steeplechase (Indoor) | Yelena Orlova | 6:06.11[13] | Moscow City Championships |  Moscow, Russia | 12 February 2012 | [14] [15] | |
| Pole vault (Indoor) | Yelena Isinbayeva | 5.01 m | XL Galan |  Stockholm, Sweden | 23 February 2012 | [16] [17] | |
| Pentathlon (Indoor) | Nataliya Dobrynska | 5013 pts | World Championships | Istanbul, Turkey | 9 March 2012 | [18] | |
| 4 × 100 m relay | Tianna Madison Allyson Felix Bianca Knight Carmelita Jeter | 40.82 | Olympic Games | London, Great Britain | 10 August 2012 | [19] | |
| 20 km walk (road) | Elena Lashmanova | 1:25:02 | Olympic Games | London, Great Britain | 11 August 2012 | [20] | |
| 60 metres | 6.45 | 7.01 | |||||
| 100 metres | 9.63 | 10.70 | |||||
| 200 metres | 19.32 | 21.69 | |||||
| 400 metres | 43.94 | 49.16 | |||||
| 800 metres | 1:40.91 | WR | 1:56.19 | ||||
| 1500 metres | 3:28.88 | 3:56.54 | |||||
| Mile run | 3:49.22 | 4:26.76 | |||||
| 3000 metres | 7:29.94 | 8:35.89 | |||||
| 5000 metres | 12:46.81 | 14:35.62 | |||||
| 10,000 metres | 26:51.16 | 30:20.75 | |||||
| 60 metres hurdles | 7.40 | 7.73 | |||||
| 100/110 metres hurdles | 12.80 | WR | 12.35 | ||||
| 400 metres hurdles | 47.63 | 52.70 | |||||
| 3000 metres steeplechase | 7:54.31 | 9:07.03 | |||||
| 10 kilometres | 27:15 | 30:47 | |||||
| 15 kilometres | 41:46 | 47:08 | |||||
| 20 kilometres | 55:52 | 1:03:12 | |||||
| Half marathon | 58:47 | 1:05:50 | |||||
| 25 kilometres | 1:11:18 | 1:22:33 | |||||
| 30 kilometres | 1:27:41 | 1:39:07 | |||||
| Marathon | 2:04:15 | 2:18:37 | |||||
| 20 kilometres race walk | 1:17:36 | 1:25:02 | |||||
| 50 kilometres race walk | 3:35:59 | align=center colspan=3 | — | ||||
| Pole vault | 6.01 m | 4.83 m | |||||
| High jump | 2.39 m | 2.05 m | |||||
| Long jump | 8.35 m | 7.15 m | |||||
| Triple jump | 17.81 m | 14.99 m | |||||
| Shot put | 22.31 m | 21.11 m | |||||
| Discus throw | 70.66 m | 69.11 m | † | ||||
| Javelin throw | 88.34 m | 69.55 m | |||||
| Hammer throw | 81.89 m | 78.69 m | |||||
| Pentathlon | align=center colspan=3 | — | 5013 pts | ||||
| Heptathlon | 6645 pts | WR | 6955 pts | NR | |||
| Decathlon | 9039 pts | WR | align=center colspan=3 | — | |||
| 4 × 100 metres relay | 36.84 | WR | 40.82 | WR | |||
| 4 × 400 metres relay | 2:56.72 | NR | 3:16.87 |
| Award | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| IAAF World Athlete of the Year | ||
| Track & Field Athlete of the Year | ||
| European Athlete of the Year | ||
| European Athletics Rising Star |
| Award | Winner | |
|---|---|---|
| IAAF World Athlete of the Year | ||
| Track & Field Athlete of the Year | ||
| European Athlete of the Year | ||
| European Athletics Rising Star |