Updated 26 September 2026: now includes African, Asian, Central American & Caribbean, NACAC, Oceania and South American championships from 2002, so the Area figures differ from earlier versions.

How old are Olympic and World medallists, event by event - and are field medallists older than track?

Olympic/World medals since 1999; area championship medals since 2002. 19 events, men and women.

Field medallists are older than track.

Olympic/World: 27.5 against 26.1 for track. (1,145 field and 1,247 track medals.) Men 1.8 years older, women 1.1.

At area level the gap is smaller: 25.8 against 25.2. (3,563 field and 4,005 track medals.) Men 0.7 years older, women 0.3.

Age at first medal: Olympic/World field 26.1, track 25.1; area field 24.4, track 24.6.

What it means for selection: global field medals come later in a career than track medals. Judging a young field athlete's "future potential" against track-style timelines will write off athletes who are still on course.