We are now well into the swing of the Paris Olympics 2024 and Team GB are off to a flying start at the halfway point of the event.

The first gold medal for Great Britain at the Olympics was claimed on day three in the team eventing competition for mountain biking and equestrian. 

Today the athletics will kick off with the final of the Men's 20km Walk at 7am with more athletics throughout the Olympics.

But how much do you know about the athletics event? 

How will Olympic athletics work at Paris 2024?

One of the most iconic Olympic sports, Team GB boasts an athletics record few other countries can match.

Indeed, only the USA has won more medals in track and field with history littered with iconic British moments.

The next crop of athletes, with Keely Hodgkinson, Josh Kerr and Dina Asher-Smith among them, will hope to write yet more history in Paris this summer

What are the different athletics events at the Olympics?

There are 48 medal events in athletics, split across track, field, and the road.

On the track, both men and women compete in the 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, 5000m, and 10,000m as well as the 400m hurdles while men contest the 110m hurdles and the women 100m hurdles.

Both also compete in the 3000m steeplechase, while relays take the form of 4x100m, 4x400m, and a mixed 4x400m event.

Field events comprise a mixture of jumping and throwing events. High jump and pole vault are all about who can reach the highest, while long jump and triple jump are both about who can reach the furthest in the sand pit.

Hammer throw, shot put, discus throw and javelin throw test who can throw the furthest.

Two events combine events from track and field, with men competing in the decathlon and women in the heptathlon.

Outside the stadium, the 20km race walk and the marathon race walk mixed relay takes place before the athletics programme concludes with the marathon.

How do Olympic relays work?

Relays are some of the most exciting events in the athletics schedule, but they are not always as simple as they may seem.

Olympic relays consist of four team members, who each run a quarter of the total distance, known as a leg, as well as ensuring the safe passage of a baton between each runner from start to finish.

Teams that drop the baton are disqualified, meaning smooth changeovers that are both quick and safe are of the utmost importance.

These changeovers must take place, for both 4x100m and 4x400m relays, in a 20m changeover zone. Changeovers that take place before, or more often after, this zone also lead to disqualification.

In the 4x100m relay, runners must also take care to stay in their designated lane or risk disqualification.

However, the 4x400m relay sticks to eight lanes for only the first lap, the next three runners can break from their lanes once the second runner reaches the back straight.

What events make up the heptathlon?

Made up of seven events, the heptathlon has provided some of Team GB’s finest Olympic moments with Denise Lewis and Jessica Ennis-Hill both winning gold in the 21st century.

Split over two days, the heptathlon begins with the 100m hurdles before the high jump, shot put, and 200m complete the first day of competition.

The long jump, javelin, and 800m complete the set on the second day.

What events make up the decathlon?

Comprising 10 events, the decathlon’s events are split equally across two days of competition.

The 100m is the first event before the long jump, shot put, high jump and 400m follow.

Day two begins with the 110m hurdles before the discus, pole vault, and javelin leave the 1500m as the last and potentially decisive event.

How does the steeplechase work?

The steeplechase is a unique event in the athletics programme; it is the only one to incorporate the element of water.

It is also the only distance event to include barriers, with athletes navigating a number of wet and dry jumps across 3000m.

The event is also the only one that sees athletes leave the track, with the water jump often placed inside a bend.

The total requirements of the 3000m steeplechase see athletes clear 28 barriers and seven water jumps.

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In the men’s event, the barriers are 91.4cm high and in the women’s event, 76.2cm.

How do repechage events work?

A big change to the Paris 2024 athletics programme is the introduction of repechage rounds.

Previously, qualification from heats and semi-finals in track events was determined by a number of automatic qualification spots alongside a small number of ‘lucky losers’.

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These lucky losers were the athletes with the fastest times that did not finish in automatic qualification spot, often the top two or three places in a race.

However, these lucky loser spots have been replaced by repechage rounds with those athletes who miss out on automatic qualification now forced to race again for a place in the next round.

This will only apply to 200m, 400m, 400m hurdles, 800m, and 1500m races and only apply to the first round of qualification.