This article contains an overview of the year 1981 in athletics.
International events Asian Championships Central American and Caribbean Championships European Indoor Championships South American Championships Universiade World Cross Country Championships
Men's Best Year Performers 100 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.10.002.10.043.10.054.10.105.10.11
200 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.20.202.20.213.20.264.20.335.20.34
400 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.44.582.44.703.44.864.44.905.44.92
800 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.1:41.732.1:44.33.1:44.314.1:44.495.1:44.63
1,500 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.3:31.572.3:31.953.3:31.964.3:32.305.3:33.49
Mile RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.3:47.332.3:48.403.3:48.834.3:49.455.3:49.67
3,000 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.7:36.692.7:36.753.7:41.414.7:43.425.7:44.99
5,000 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.13:06.202.13:10.403.13:11.994.13:13.475.13:15.59
10,000 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.27:27.72.27:38.433.27:39.444.27:40.695.27:40.78
Half Marathon RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.1:01:47
Marathon
110m Hurdles RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.12.932.13.033.13.364.13.385.13.40
400m Hurdles RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.47.142.48.103.48.534.48.645.48.81
3,000m Steeplechase RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.8:12.132.8:13.323.8:16.664.8:18.575.8:18.58
High Jump RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSHEIGHT1.2.333.2.31
Long Jump RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.8.622.8.453.8.354.8.215.8.19
Triple Jump RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.17.562.17.373.17.344.17.315.17.30
Discus RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.69.982.69.603.68.764.68.325.67.86
Hammer RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.80.562.80.183.79.604.78.725.78.72
Shot Put RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.22.022.21.693.21.604.21.205.21.11
Pole Vault RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSHEIGHT1.5.813.5.754.5.70
Javelin (old design) RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.92.482.91.983.91.044.90.545.90.38
Decathlon RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSPOINTS1.83342.82813.82214.82045.8220
Women's Best Year Performers
100 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.10.902.11.073.11.095.11.12
200 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.21.842.21.973.22.074.22.355.22.42
400 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.48.612.49.273.50.504.50.835.50.98
800 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.1:56.982.1:57.163.1:57.424.1:57.555.1:57.56
1,500 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.3:57.782.3:58.293.3:58.704.3:58.895.3:59.67
Mile RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.4:20.892.4:21.403.4:21.824.4:22.55.4:23.8
3,000 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.8:34.302.8:34.803.8:38.344.8:44.65.8:44.64
5,000 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.15:14.512.15:24.63.15:34.76
10,000 metres RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.32:17.192.32:20.403.32:36.004.32:37.405.32:46.56
Marathon
100m Hurdles RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.12.682.12.853.12.934,12.97
400m Hurdles RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSTIME1.54.792.55.493.55.514.55.545.55.78
High Jump RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSHEIGHT1.1.97 m2.1.96 m
Long Jump RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.6.96 m2.6.91 m4.6.90 m5.6.89 m
Discus RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.71.46 m2.71.30 m3.69.86 m4.69.70 m5.68.98 m
Shot Put RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.21.61 m2.21.57 m3.21.14 m4.21.09 m5.21.08 m
Javelin (old design) RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSDISTANCE1.71.88 m2.68.86 m3.67.24 m4.66.60 m5.66.34 m
Heptathlon RANK1981 WORLD BEST PERFORMERSPOINTS1.67882.63653.63334.62955.6291
Births
January January 8 – Mesías Zapata, Ecuadorian race walker January 14 – Hyleas Fountain, American heptathlete January 18 – Naoyuki Daigo, Japanese high jumper January 24 – Jong Yong-Ok, North Korean long-distance runner January 27 – Fabrizio Schembri, Italian triple jumper January 29 – Rose Richmond, American long jumper
February February 12 – Amarilys Alméstica, Puerto Rican hammer thrower February 13 – Rosibel García, Colombian middle-distance runner February 15 – Rita Jeptoo, Kenyan marathon runner February 16 – Jessé de Lima, Brazilian high jumper February 17 – Shi Na, Chinese race walker February 19 – Shellene Williams, Jamaican sprinter February 25 – Marek Plawgo, Polish athlete
March March 11 – Yelena Konevtseva, Russian hammer thrower March 13 – Stefan Wenk, German javelin thrower March 22 – Aliaksandr Parkhomenka, Belarusian decathlete March 28 – Yuniel Hernández, Cuban hurdler
April April 13 – Moushaumi Robinson, American sprinter April 19 – Kazuhiro Maeda, Japanese long-distance runner
May May 6 – Rui Pedro Silva, Portuguese distance runner May 15 – Merja Korpela, Finnish hammer thrower May 20 – Jana Tucholke, German discus thrower May 21 – Anna Rogowska, Polish pole vaulter May 28 – Kamil Kalka, Polish race walker May 31 – Eileen O'Keefe, Irish hammer thrower
July July 9 – Rutger Smith, Dutch discus thrower and shot putter July 13 – Ineta Radēviča, Latvian long and triple jumper July 24 – Carys Parry, Welsh hammer thrower July 30 – Daria Onyśko, Polish sprinter
August August 15 – Yoshiko Fujinaga, Japanese long-distance runner August 30 – Aleksandr Vashchyla, Belarusian hammer thrower
September September 6 – Brandon Simpson, Jamaican athlete September 7 – Eyerusalem Kuma, Ethiopian distance runner September 12 – Greg Nixon, American sprinter September 15 – Tomas Intas, Lithuanian javelin thrower
October October 3 – Anna Omarova, Russian shot putter October 18 – Ji Young-Jun, South Korean long-distance runner
November November 8 – Jéssica Augusto, Portuguese long-distance runner November 18 – Kimberly Barrett, Jamaica-Puerto Rican shot putter November 21 – Werknesh Kidane, Ethiopian long-distance runner
December December 8 – Gabriel Ortiz, Mexican race walker December 22 – Marina Kuptsova, Russian high jumper
Deaths April 25 – Paul Bontemps (76), French long-distance runner (b. 1902) August 2 – Delfo Cabrera (62), Argentine long-distance runner (b. 1919)
References
Year Lists Association of Road Racing Statisticians Year Rankings