1982 in the sport of athletics

International Events

• African Championships
• Asian Games
• Central American and Caribbean Championships
• Commonwealth Games
• European Championships
• European Indoor Championships
• World Cross Country Championships

  World records

Men

Women

• Marlies Göhr equals her own world record in the women's 100 metres, clocking 10.88 seconds on 1982-07-06 at a meet in Karl-Marx-Stadt.

  Men's Best Year Performers

[100 metres]

[200 metres]

[400 metres]

[800 metres]

1,500 metres">1500 metres">1,500 metres

Mile">Mile run world record progression">Mile

3,000 metres">3000 metres">3,000 metres

5,000 metres">5000 metres">5,000 metres

10,000 metres">10000 metres">10,000 metres

[Half Marathon]

Marathon">Marathon (sport)">Marathon

110m Hurdles">Hurdling">110m Hurdles

400m Hurdles">Hurdling">400m Hurdles

3,000m Steeplechase">Steeplechase (athletics)">3,000m Steeplechase

[High Jump]

[Long Jump]

[Triple Jump]

Discus">Discus throw">Discus

Hammer">Hammer throw">Hammer

[Shot Put]

[Pole Vault]

Javelin (old design)">Javelin throw">Javelin (old design)

[Decathlon]

Women's Best Year Performers

[100 metres]

[200 metres]

[400 metres]

[800 metres]

1,500 metres">1500 metres">1,500 metres

Mile">Mile run world record progression">Mile

3,000 metres">3000 metres">3,000 metres

5,000 metres">5000 metres">5,000 metres

10,000 metres">10000 metres">10,000 metres

[Half Marathon]

Marathon">Marathon (sport)">Marathon

100m Hurdles">Hurdling">100m Hurdles

400m Hurdles">Hurdling">400m Hurdles

[High Jump]

[Long Jump]

Discus">Discus throw">Discus

[Shot Put]

Javelin (old design)">Javelin throw">Javelin (old design)

[Heptathlon]

Births

January

• January 2 – Athanasia Tsoumeleka, Greek race walker
• January 3 – Eşref Apak, Turkish hammer thrower
• January 5 – Vadims Vasiļevskis, Latvian athlete
• January 12 – Dimitrios Tsiamis, Greek triple jumper
• January 24 – Hamdi Dhouibi, Tunisian decathlete

  February

• February 2 – Dorcus Inzikuru, Ugandan athlete
• February 7 – Rumyana Karapetrova, Bulgarian javelin thrower
• February 8 – Iryna Shtanhyeyeva, Ukrainian sprinter
• February 9 – Zersenay Tadese, Eritrean athlete
• February 10 – Justin Gatlin, American athlete
• February 18 – Krisztián Pars, Hungarian hammer thrower

  March

• March 1 – Leryn Franco, Paraguayan javelin thrower
• March 7 – Josh Rohatinsky, American long-distance runner
• March 14 – Yuleidis Limonta, Cuban heptathlete
• March 16 – Inga Kožarenoka, Latvian javelin thrower
• March 25 – Kayoko Fukushi, Japanese long-distance runner
• March 31 – Janice Josephs, South African heptathlete

  April

• April 15 – Jean-Jacques Nkouloukidi, Italian race walker
• April 20 – Arnoud Okken, Dutch middle-distance runner
• April 20 – Dennis Leyckes, German decathlete
• April 25 – Victoria Mitchell, Australian long-distance runner

  May

• May 6 – Dilshod Nazarov, Tajikistani hammer thrower
• May 10 – Yochai Halevi, Israeli long jumper and triple jumper
• May 12 – Marvin Anderson, Jamaican sprinter
• May 15 – Veronica Campbell-Brown, Jamaican athlete
• May 20 – Mihail Stamatoyiannis, Greek shot putter
• May 25 – Ezekiel Kemboi, Kenyan athlete
• May 30 – Phaustin Baha Sulle, Tanzanian long-distance runner

  June

• June 3 – Yelena Isinbayeva, Russian pole vaulter
• June 5 – Fabiano Peçanha, Brazilian middle-distance runner
• June 11 – Vanessa Boslak, French pole vaulter
• June 13 – Kenenisa Bekele, Ethiopian distance runner
• June 25 – Esther Dankwah, Ghanaian sprinter

  July

• July 8 – Park Chil-Sung, South Korean race walker
• July 14 – Vyacheslav Muravyev, Kazakhstani sprinter
• July 23 – Thaimara Rivas, Venezuelan heptathlete

  August

• August 5 – Jo Ankier, British long-distance runner
• August 9 – Robert Häggblom, Finnish shot putter
• August 9 – Byron Piedra, Ecuadorian distance runner
• August 31 – Lien Huyghebaert, Belgian athlete

  September

• September 11 – Elvan Abeylegesse, Ethiopian-born Turkish track and field athlete
• September 15 – Matthew Boyles, American race walker
• September 29 – Salome Chepchumba, Kenyan middle distance runner

  October

• October 25 – Aarik Wilson, American long jumper and triple jumper

  November

• November 4 – Kamila Skolimowska, Polish hammer thrower
• November 6 – Loree Smith, American hammer thrower
• November 9 – Eloise Wellings, Australian long-distance runner
• November 11 – Ivan Babaryka, Ukrainian long-distance runner
• November 11 – Asafa Powell, Jamaican sprinter
• November 29 – Andrei Chubsa, Belarusian high jumper

  December

• December 2 – Morten Jensen, Danish long jumper
• December 11 – Darren Gilford, Maltese athlete
• December 25 – Samson Ramadhani, Tanzanian long-distance runner

  Deaths

• April 26 – Ville Ritola, Finnish Olympic gold medal runner
• June 25 – Ed Hamm, American athlete
• June 28 – Wiesław Maniak, Polish sprinter
• August 4 – Henk van der Wal, Dutch track and field athlete