Athletics, or el atletismo in Spanish, includes many different events such as running, jumping, throwing, and combined events. This article presents athletics vocabulary in Spanish with English translations, grouped into categories to make learning clear and effective.

Athletics Vocabulary in Spanish

Learning athletics vocabulary in Spanish is an excellent way to expand your sports-related language skills. Reading this article will help you approach these athletics terms in Spanish step by step and gain confidence while seeing how the words are used across different types of events.

General Athletics Vocabulary

There are many general terms used in athletics. This list includes athletics vocabulary in Spanish that applies to a wide variety of events.

  1. El atletismo (athletics)
  2. El or la atleta (athlete)
  3. El entrenador or la entrenadora (coach)
  4. El juez or la jueza (judge)
  5. La pista de atletismo (athletics track)
  6. La calle (lane)
  7. El podio (podium)
  8. La medalla (medal)
  9. El oro (gold)
  10. La plata (silver)
  11. El bronce (bronze)
  12. El campeonato (championship)
  13. El entrenamiento (training)
  14. El calentamiento (warm-up)
  15. El estiramiento (stretching)
  16. Las zapatillas (shoes)
  17. Los clavos (spikes)
  18. El dorsal (bib number)

Running Events

Running is a central part of athletics. Below is a list of terms related to running events, with translations to help you connect Spanish terms with English.

  1. El sprint (sprint)
  2. Las vallas (hurdles)
  3. El relevo (relay)
  4. La salida (start)
  5. La meta (finish line)
  6. El cronómetro (stopwatch)
  7. La velocidad (speed)
  8. El maratón (marathon)
  9. El medio maratón (half marathon)
  10. La carrera (race)
    • La carrera de fondo (long-distance race)
    • La carrera de fondo (middle-distance race)
    • La carrera de 100 metros (100-meter race), la carrera de 200 metros (200-meter race), la carrera de 400 metros (400-meter race)…
    • La carrera en pista cubierta (indoor race)
    • La carrera de campo a través (cross-country race)

Jumping Events

Jumping is another essential part of athletics. The following list has terms used in different jumping events, together with English translations.

  1. El salto (jump)
    • El salto de longitud (long jump)
    • El salto triple (triple jump)
    • El salto de altura (high jump)
    • El salto con pértiga (pole vault)
  2. La pértiga (pole)
  3. La batida (takeoff)
  4. La fosa de arena (sandpit)
  5. La carrera de impulso (approach run)
  6. El listón (bar)
  7. La colchoneta de caída (landing mat)
  8. La técnica Fosbury (Fosbury technique)
  9. La carrera de aproximación (approach run)
  10. La zancada (stride)
    • La zancada final (final stride)
  11. El vuelo (flight)
  12. La caída (landing)
  13. El despegue (lift-off)
  14. La carrera de batida (run-up)
  15. La zona de batida (takeoff zone)
  16. La tabla de batida (run-up)

Throwing Events

Throwing events (los lanzamientos) demand strength and precision. Here is a list of some athletics vocabulary in Spanish for throwing.

  1. El lanzamiento de peso (shot put)
  2. El lanzamiento de disco (discus throw)
  3. El lanzamiento de jabalina (javelin throw)
  4. El lanzamiento de martillo (hammer throw)
  5. El círculo de lanzamiento (throwing circle)
  6. El sector de lanzamiento (throwing sector)
  7. El impulso (thrust)
  8. La rotación (rotation)
  9. El balanceo (swing)
  10. La técnica de giro (spin technique)
  11. La técnica lineal (linear technique)
  12. La barra de hierro (iron bar)
  13. La pista de lanzamiento (throwing field)
  14. La jaula de lanzamiento (throwing cage)
  15. El ángulo de salida (release angle)
  16. La distancia (distance)
  17. La marca (mark)
  18. El lanzador or la lanzadora (thrower)
  19. El implemento (implement)
  20. El final de lanzamiento (end of throw)

Combined Events

Combined events (las pruebas combinadas) test athletes across multiple skills. Below you will find athletics terms in Spanish related to combined events.

  1. El decatlón (decathlon)
  2. El heptatlón (heptathlon)
  3. La prueba múltiple (multiple event)
  4. La puntuación (score)
  5. La resistencia (endurance)
  6. El or la velocista (sprinter)
  7. El or la fondista (long-distance runner)
  8. La técnica (technique)
  9. El preparación física (physical preparation)
  10. La condición física (fitness)
  11. La estrategia (strategy)
  12. El control del esfuerzo (effort control)
  13. El intervalo (interval)
  14. La recuperación (recovery)
  15. La competición (competition)
  16. El calendario (schedule)
  17. La clasificación (ranking)
  18. La marca mínima (minimum qualifying mark)
  19. El récord (record)

Exercises

Now that you know the key terms, you are ready to practice. In this section, you will find exercises designed to test and strengthen your understanding of athletics vocabulary in Spanish.

Remember, in our blog, you can also learn American football, chess, fencing, soccer, baseball, basketball, cricket, golf, horse riding, ice hockey, rugby or tennis vocabulary in Spanish.

Exercise 1

Exercise 2

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Vocabulary