The Event
During the event, ten hurdles are placed along the running track. Each hurdle is located at a gap of 8.5 meter from the other. The height of these hurdles is 84.0 centimeter. The race is pretty technical in nature. An athlete not only needs speed and agility but has to cultivate several skills by continuous and hard training.
Rules and Regulations
Rules and regulations for 100 meter hurdle for women have been set by the International Association of Athletics Federations or the IAAF.
- The hurdles should be adjustable. For different events in the Olympics, they have to be adjusted at various heights.
- Deliberate knocking down of the hurdle brings instant disqualification of the athlete. If it is unintentionally it is not considered an offence.
- Athletes are barred from obstructing their competitors' path. If they do that, they are disqualified.
- Hurdles and their top bar should be made of metal and wood.
- Length and breadth of each hurdle has been specified by the IAAF. The top bars should be painted white and black. They should not be in any other colour.
- IAAF accredited time measurement devices should be used for measurement of time.
- An athlete cannot step out of the track in the event.
- No athlete, who has been unable to reach the finishing line, is given any points.
Top performers in 100 meter hurdle for women in the Olympics have been Yordanka Donkova, Benita Fitzgerald-Brown, Vera Komisova, Johanna Schaller-Klier, Joanna Hayes, Olga Shishigina, Brigita Bukovec, LaVonna Martin, Gloria Siebert, Shirley Strong, Tatyana Anisimova, Ludmila Engquist, Voula Patoulidou, Annelie Ehrhardt, Olena Krasovska, Glory Alozie, and Valeria Bufanu.
