Olympic factoid: up and over

At lower level meetings you may have been asked to help the ground staff and track officials to set up the hurdles prior to races. Did you know that there are lots of different combinations of not just hurdle height but also toppling weight (counterweight)?

Rule 22 says, "The counterweights shall be adjustable so that at each height a force at least equal to the weight of 3.6kg and not more than 4kg is required to tilt it."

So those who remember their physics will understand that the weight in the base needs to be closer or further from the front depending on the height! 

There are adjustment knobs or levers on each hurdle. These pre-set positions are adjusted on each hurdle prior to each race to ensure the height and position of the weight is correct for that race.

One recent innovation is a system where height and accompanying toppling weight (counter weight) are linked together so that when one is adjusted the other will automatically be correct. This system is being used at the Paris Olympics.

In case you would like to see the complex combinations they are listed below. Why the strange hurdle heights? Because they've been converted from whole inches!

There are yet more combinations for Masters; Masters specifications can also be found in UKA Rule 22.

Top and bottom photos by Mark Shearman
Middle photo by Danny Tolhurst