Athletics at the Summer Paralympics explained

Sport:	athletics
Size:	150
Menevents:	100
Womenevents:	60

Athletics has been contested at every Summer Paralympics since the first games in 1960. Men and women from all disability groups compete in the sport.

Some athletes use wheelchairs or prosthetic limbs and compete in their respective sport independently and under their own power.

Visually impaired athletes participate in running events with the help of a sighted guide, to whom they may be attached by a tether. Sound-emitting devices or a sighted "caller" are used to indicate target areas for throwing events, take-off points for jumping events, and other important locations for visually impaired competitors.^[1]

There are several different classifications and groups in which athletes compete that are based on their disability. Each disability has a different classification which determines the class the athletes will compete in. Nearly every opportunity that is available to non-disabled athletes are available in the Paralympics.

In the first edition of the Summer Paralympic Games in 1960, Italy finished the sport in the first place of the medal table, between 1964 and 1996 there was a clear dominance of the United States, being broken in 2000, when Australia dominated the sport at home and since 2004, China has dominated the sport.

Summary

width=50	Games	width=50	Year	width=100	Events	width=150	Best Nation
		25
		42
		70
		73
		208
		274
		443
		333
		240
		211
		226
		194
		160
		170
		177
		168

Classification

Athletes compete in various classes which group them according to their impairments and abilities.

Class	Criteria
	From no light perception at all in either eye, up to and including the ability to perceive light; inability to recognize objects or contours in any direction and at any distance.
	Ability to recognise objects up to a distance of 2 metres i.e. below 2/60 and/or visual field of less than five (5) degrees
	Can recognise contours between 2 and 6 metres away i.e. 2/60 O 6/60 and visual field of more than five (5) degrees and less than twenty (20) degrees.
	Athletes who have a recognised intellectual impairment according to international standards as recognised by the World Health Organisation i.e. IQ testing of 75 and below.
	Moderate quadriplegia. Fair functional strength and moderate problems in upper extremities and torso. Wheelchair for daily activities but may be ambulant with assistive devices.
	Moderate to severe problems in lower limbs, good functional strength and minimal control problems in upper limbs and torso. Wheelchair for daily activities but may be ambulant with assistive devices
	Good functional strength and minimal control problems in upper limbs. No wheelchair. May or may not use assistive devices.
	Greater upper limb involvement, less coordination / balance problems when running or throwing. Ambulates without walking devices.
	Moderate to minimal hemiplegia (i.e. one half of the body affected – arm and leg on same side). Good functional ability in non affected side. Walks / runs without assistive devices, but with a limp.
	Minimal hemiplegia. May have minimal coordination problems, good balance. Runs and jumps freely
	Les Autres- French for "The Others"- disabilities that do not fall into any specific categories, for example Dwarfism. Height limit, Males 145 cm, Females 140 cm.
	Single leg, above or through knee amputation. Combined lower plus upper limb amputations. Minimal disability.
	Double leg, below knee amputation. Combined lower plus upper limb amputations. Normal function in throwing arm.
	Single leg below knee amputation. Combined lower plus upper limb amputations. Ambulant with moderately reduced function in one or both lower limbs
	Double arm above elbow. Double arm below elbow
	Single arm, above elbow. Single arm, below elbow. Normal function in both lower limbs. Other impairments in trunk. Upper limb function in throwing.
	Damage to spinal cord in the higher parts of the back. Substantially impaired or no trunk function; no leg function. Pushing power comes from elbow extensions.
	Impaired trunk movements, some with no spinal control. Some interference in their ability to perform long and forceful strokes and the ability to rapidly grasp and release the pushing rim of the wheel.
	Have normal or nearly normal upper limb function. May have no upper trunk movements and when pushing, the trunk is usually lying on the legs. Those with almost normal trunk function are able to perform long and forceful strokes. Double above the knee amputations.
	Limited arm function. Difficulty gripping with non-throwing arm. Shot – Unable to form a fist and therefore do not usually have finger contact with the shot at the release point. Discus – Have difficulty placing fingers over the edge of the discus. Javelin – Usually grip the Javelin between the index and middle fingers, or between the middle and ring fingers.
	Have nearly normal grip with non-throwing arm. Shot – Usually a good fist can be made. Can spread fingers apart and can 'grasp' the shot put when throwing. Discus – Have good finger function to hold the discus and may be able to impart spin on the discus. Are able to spread and close the fingers, but not with normal power. Javelin – Usually grip javelin between the thumb and the index finger. Have ability to hold javelin.
	Normal arm function; no trunk or leg function. Shot, Discus and Javelin – Have no sitting balance and usually hold on to part of chair whilst throwing
	Some trunk function; no leg function. Fair to good sitting balance.
	Trunk function with some upper leg function. Good balance and movements backwards and forwards.
	Usually one 'good' leg and one 'bad' leg. Good movements backwards and forwards, usually to one side. Can raise from a sitting to a standing position with assistance during the throw.
	Seated. Better function than F57 athletes, but not enough to stand to throw. Usually similar impairment in both legs.

^[2]

Medal summary

Medal table

The following medal table is the winnings of the 2020 Paralympic Games. Countries in italics are former countries who participated in the Paralympic Games. The United States has more than doubled the winnings of any other country, Great Britain and Canada being their closest competitor.

Multi-medallists

Athletes who achieved more than three medals in the Paralympic Games. Updated to 2016 Summer Paralympics.

T/F11 – 13

No.	Athlete	Class	Years	Athletic event	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	Maher Bouallegue	T13	2000–2004	800m 1500m 5000m 10000m	6	1	0	7
2	Jason Smyth	T13	2008–2016	100m 200m	5	0	0	5
3	José Sayovo	T11	2004–2012	100m 200m 400m	4	3	2	9
4	Li Duan	F11	2000–2012	Long jump Triple jump	4	2	2	8
5	Adekundo Adesoji	T12	2004	100m 200m 400m	3	0	0	3
5	Royal Mitchell	T13	2000–2008	100m 200m 400m relay	3	0	0	3
7	Odair Santos	T11	2004–2016	800m 1500m 5000m 10000m	0	4	4	8
8	Li Yansong	T12	2008–2012	100m 200m 400m relay	2	3	2	7
9	Nathan Meyer	T13	2000–2004	100m 200m	2	1	0	3
10	Ildar Pomykalov	T12	1996–2008	5000m Marathon	2	0	2	4
11	Carlos Amaral Ferreira	T11	1996–2004	10000m Marathon	1	3	1	5
12	André Andrade	T13	2000–2008	100m 200m	1	3	0	4
13	Diosmani Gonzalez	T12	1996–2004	5000m 10000m	1	2	0	3
14	José Alves	T13	2000–2004	100m 200m 400m relay relay	1	0	3	4
15	Luis Bullido	T11	2000–2004	100m 200m 400m relay	0	4	1	5
16	Lex Gillette	F11	2004–2016	Long jump	0	4	0	4
17	Jason Dunkerley	T11	2000–2012	800m 1500m 5000m	0	3	2	5
18	Ricardo Santana	T12	2000–2008	100m 200m relay	0	2	3	5
19	Kestutis Bartkenas	T11/13	1996–2004	5000m 10000m	0	1	3	4
	Oleksandr Ivaniukhin	T11/F11/P11	2000–2008	100m 200m 400m Long jump Triple jump Pentathlon	0	1	3	4
	Gautier Makunda	T11	2004–2012	100m relay	0	1	3	4
22	Stuart McGregor	T13	1996–2004	800m 1500m	0	1	2	3

T/F32 – 38

No.	Athlete	Class	Years	Athletic event(s)	Gender	Gold	Silver	Bronze	Total
1	So Wa Wai	T36	1996–2012	100m 200m 400m relay	M	6	3	3	12
2	Alex Hermans	C6	1980–2000	Discus throw Long jump Shot put	M	6	1	1	8
3	Darren Thrupp	F/T37	1992–2008	100m 200m relay Long jump	M	6	0	3	9
4	David Larson	C3-4/T33	1988–2000	100m 200m 400m 800m	M	5	0	3	8
5	Mohamed Allek	T36-37	1996–2008	100m 200m 400m	M	5	0	1	6
6	Benny Govaerts	C7/T37	1988–2004	800m 1500m 5000m	M	4	1	2	7
7	Kim Du-chun	C6/T35	1988–2000	100m 200m 400m	M	4	1	1	6
8	Peter Haber	C7/T36/F36	1992–2000	100m 200m 400m Long jump	M	3	5	0	8
9	Willem Noorduin	C5/F35	1988–2008	Discus throw Shot put	M	3	4	2	9
10	Malcolm Pringle	T37/38	1996–2004	400m 800m 1500m	M	3	3	1	7
11	Stephen Payton	T37/38	1996–2008	100m 200m 400m relay	M	3	2	4	9
12	Freeman Register	C5-6/T35	1992–2000	100m 200m relay	M	3	1	2	6
13	Andrzej Wrobel	C7-8/T37	1992–2000	800m 1500m	M	3	1	1	5
14	James Shaw	F34/37	1996–2004	Discus throw Javelin throw Shot put	M	3	0	1
15	Ross Davis	C3-4/T34	1992–2000	100m 200m 400m 800m	M	2	4	3	9
16	Ahmed Hassan Mahmoud	C7/T36-37	1992–2000	100m 200m 400m	M	1	1	4	6
17	Shing Chung Chan	C7-8/T38	1988–2000	100m relay	M	1	1	3	5
18	Fernando Gomez	T35	1996	100m 200m 400m relay	M	0	3	0	3
19	Lamouri Rahmouni	T36	1992–2000	400m relay	M	0	2	1	3

T/F52 – 58

Events

Note that not all events at a particular games are competed across all classifications

Men's events

Event									16
Current program
100 metres		●	●	●	●	●	●	●
200 metres					●	●	●	●
400 metres					●	●	●	●
800 metres					●	●	●	●
1500 metres					●	●	●	●
5000 metres							●	●
Marathon							●	●
4×100metres relay		●			●	●	●	●
High jump					●	●	●	●
Long jump					●	●	●	●
Shot put	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Discus throw		●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Javelin throw	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Club throw	●	●	●		●	●	●	●
Past events
20 metres							●
60 metres			●	●	●	●	●	●
80 metres						●
10,000 meters								●
1500 metres race walk					●		●
5000 metres walk						●	●
4 x 40 metres relay			●		●
4 x 60 metres relay				●	●	●
4 x 80 metres relay						●
4 x 200 metres relay							●	●
4×400 metres relay							●	●
Triple jump						●	●	●
Precision javelin	●		●	●	●	●		●
Football accuracy					●
					●
Slalom		●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Pentathlon	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●

Women's events

Event									16
Current program
100 metres					●	●	●	●
200 metres					●	●	●	●
400 metres					●	●	●	●
800 metres					●	●	●	●
1500 metres					●	●	●	●
5000 metres							●	●
Marathon							●	●
4×100metres relay							●	●
Long jump					●	●	●	●
Shot put	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Discus throw		●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Javelin throw	●	●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Club throw	●	●	●		●	●	●	●
Past events
20 metres								●
4 x 40 metre relay			●	●	●
4 x 60 metre relay						●
4 x 200 metre relay							●	●
60 metres			●	●	●	●
1000 metres cross country							●
3000 metres						●	●	●
10,000 metres								●
High jump					●	●	●
Precision club throw					●			●
Precision javelin			●	●	●		●
Slalom		●	●	●	●	●	●	●
Pentathlon			●	●	●	●	●	●

Nations


Nations	10	16	26	39	39	40	51	57	74	84	104	116	111	141	146
Competitors	31	82	423	549	774	936	1198	1141	928	908	1044	1064	1028	1133	1140

Notes and References

http://ipc-athletics.paralympic.org/About_the_Sport/ IPC Athletics – About the sport
http://paralimpicos.sportec.es/publicacion/ficheros/file/1Athletics_Classification_Handbook_2006%20UPDATED%20JUN%202010.pdf IPC Athletics Classification Handbook 2006 (Updated June 2010) (PDF)