Why do the women clear all the hurdles... (olympic, record, race)

[cittic10]

... but men knock most of them over (and in some cases send them flying) ?

Am I looking at two different events here?

[Ghengis]

Originally Posted by cittic10

... but men knock most of them over (and in some cases send them flying) ?

Am I looking at two different events here?

must be anatomy....ouch

[skeeter31]

I was thinking the same thing. Must be that third leg

[Finger Laker]

For sprint hurdles Women run 100m - Men run 110m .... both have to clear 10 hurdles ..... for men running this distance the hurdle height is 42", for women running this distance the hurdle height is 33"

For longer hurdle races the men clear 36", the women 30"

[skeeter31]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

For sprint hurdles Women run 100m - Men run 110m .... both have to clear 10 hurdles ..... for men running this distance the hurdle height is 42", for women running this distance the hurdle height is 33"

For longer hurdle races the men clear 36", the women 30"

Thank you for the actual answer, but it was still fun to think of it being the other way!

[cittic10]

Originally Posted by Finger Laker

For sprint hurdles Women run 100m - Men run 110m .... both have to clear 10 hurdles ..... for men running this distance the hurdle height is 42", for women running this distance the hurdle height is 33"

For longer hurdle races the men clear 36", the women 30"

Right, but aren't the men taller and aren't the women penalized if they hit them?
I'm not just talking about a few hurdles.
It almost looks like they're purposely destroying the course. If olympic athletes are really incapable of hopping over those, why don't then lower them a little? One guy I saw yesterday ended up getting injured when one of the hurdles fell and hit the back of his leg and couldn't finish.

I'm loving the penis jokes, people. Keep those coming.
Even if that was the reason, they should lower the hurdles to accommodate the men.

[Ohiogirl81]

Originally Posted by Ghengis

must be anatomy....ouch

They wish.

[Finger Laker]

Originally Posted by cittic10

Right, but aren't the men taller and aren't the women penalized if they hit them?
I'm not just talking about a few hurdles.
It almost looks like they're purposely destroying the course. If olympic athletes are really incapable of hopping over those, why don't then lower them a little? One guy I saw yesterday ended up getting injured when one of the hurdles fell and hit the back of his leg and couldn't finish.

I'm loving the penis jokes, people. Keep those coming.
Even if that was the reason, they should lower the hurdles to accommodate the men.

Typically taller - male hurdlers are typically in that 6'1" to 6'2" range ... women are typically around 5'6"

so while there may be an 8"-9" height difference to go with the 9" difference in hurdles, it's not all in the legs for their height ... even if from foot to waist the men are 6" taller, it's still a 9" difference .... there are also technique implications, for men so much has to do with the # of strides and launch point to get over the hurdles .... it's important for women as well, but it just seems to work out better for them - clear the hurdle, take your strides and go .... both typically will do 3 strides and keep the lead and trailing foot the same, but for some reason it doesn't seem like the women have as sharp of an up/down swing to get over the hurdles

there isn't a penalty for knocking over a hurdle as long as you aren't doing it on purpose, knocking it into an opponents lane, etc....... if you crash into them it will mess up your speed and footwork

i know a lot of guys try to clear them as closely as possible - a little nick with the trailing leg won't slow you down or mess up your pace much and it could actually help to keep you properly spaced ... although even a little hit can lead to a pretty dramatic looking fall of the hurdle

Pearson - OG Record Next WR.