Athletics in French: the vocabulary of the events you need to know

You're watching a competition on a French TV channel, or you're attending a competition in France. On the track, the sprinters settle into their starting blocks, the crowd falls silent for a few seconds, then the starting gun goes off. You recognise the events, but the commentary and the signs use words you haven't learned yet.

To follow an athletics competition more easily, a few terms are already enough to understand the essentials: the races, the jumps, the throws and the expressions that come up throughout the events.

How do you say athletics in French?

In French, athletics is l'athlétisme. This term is used both to talk about the sport in general and to refer to athletics in the context of a competition or sporting event. Here are a few basic words to know to better understand the conversations and information around a competition:

Athletics events in French

Once the competition is under way, the words change with the rhythm of the events. You move from the track to the jumping area, then to the throwing area. Recognising the name of each event already makes it much easier to follow a programme or a sports commentary.

Running and sprinting in French

Imagine the scoreboard before the start: the events follow one another, and some terms look like English, while others are much more descriptive.

• le sprint: the sprint
• la course de 100 m: the 100-metre race
• le marathon: the marathon
• la course de haies: the hurdles
• le steeple: the steeplechase
• la marche athlétique: race walking

The word course means "race" and appears in several event names. Once you've spotted it, terms like course de haies or course de 100 m become much easier to decode.

Jumps in French

When the competition moves to the jumping areas, another word comes up often: saut, which means "jump". You'll find it directly in the name of several events.

• le saut en hauteur: the high jump
• le saut en longueur: the long jump
• le triple saut: the triple jump
• le saut à la perche: the pole vault

Pole vault is therefore le saut à la perche. The expression may look long at first glance, but it follows a typical logic of the language: saut refers to the jump and à la perche to the pole.

Throws in French

Same logic for the throws: the word lancer means "throw" and helps you quickly recognise several events on the programme.

• le lancer du javelot: the javelin throw
• le lancer du disque: the discus throw
• le lancer du marteau: the hammer throw
• le lancer du poids: the shot put

All four of these terms therefore begin with lancer. This makes them easier to spot on a competition programme, even if you don't yet know every term by heart.

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Useful expressions for athletics in French

During a final, knowing the names of the events isn't always enough. The commentators also talk about the start, the records and the finish. Here are a few expressions you'll hear regularly:

• gagner la course: to win the race
• établir un record du monde: to set a world record
• le coup de départ: the starting gun
• la ligne d'arrivée: the finish line
• le record personnel: a personal best

These expressions take on their full meaning when you hear them in context: a sprinter crosses la ligne d'arrivée, an athlete improves her record personnel, or a new record is announced in the stadium.

With a few well-chosen words, following an athletics competition quickly becomes easier: you recognise the events, understand the key announcements and enjoy more of what's happening on the track. It's a good way to gradually enrich your vocabulary through a concrete topic you already love. And if you'd like to broaden your sports vocabulary next, also discover our article on sports vocabulary in French