1978 in the sport of athletics
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In 1978, the foremost international competitions in the sport of athletics were the 1978 IAAF World Cross Country Championships and the 1978 European Athletics Championships.[1][2] High-profile athletics competitions were also held at the 1978 Commonwealth Games, the 1978 All-Africa Games and the 1978 Asian Games.[3][4][5]
Among the most prominent athletes that year was Kenya's Henry Rono who, in the space of 81 days, broke four world records: the 10,000 m (27:22.5), the 5000 m (13:08.4), the 3000 m steeplechase (8:05.4), and the 3000 m (7:32.1).[6][7] In the course of the season East German Marita Koch also broke a world record four times, running 22.06 for the 200 m and breaking the 400 m three times, concluding the run with a time of 48.94 to win the European title.[8]
World
- World Cross Country Championships
- 1978 World Military Track and Field Championships
- 1978 Commonwealth Games
Regional
- 1978 All-Africa Games
- 1978 Asian Games
- 1978 Balkan Athletics Championships
- 1978 CARIFTA Games
- 1978 Central American and Caribbean Games
- 1978 Central American and Caribbean Junior Championships in Athletics
- 1978 European Athletics Championships
- 1978 European Athletics Indoor Championships
- 1978 European Champion Clubs Cup
- 1978 South American Junior Championships in Athletics
- 1978 South American Youth Championships in Athletics
- 1978 Southern Cross Games
National
- 1978 Italian Athletics Championships
- 1978 NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships
- 1978 NCAA Division I Cross Country Championships
- 1978 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships
- 1978 UK Athletics Championships
- 1978 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships
- 1978 USA–USSR Track and Field Dual Meet
Marathons
World records
Men
| Event | Performance | Athlete | Nation | Meeting | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3000 m | 7:32.1 | Henry Rono |  Kenya | Oslo | 1978-06-27 | |
| 5000 m | 13:08.4 | Henry Rono | Kenya | Berkeley | 1978-04-08 | |
| 10,000 m | 27:22.47 | Henry Rono | Kenya | Vienna | 1978-06-11 | |
| 3000 m steeplechase | 8:05.4 | Henry Rono | Kenya | Seattle | 1978-05-13 | |
| High jump | 2.34 | Vladimir Yashchenko |  Soviet Union | Tbilisi | 1978-06-16 | |
| Pole vault | 5.71 | Mike Tully |  United States | Corvallis | 1978-05-19 | |
| Discus throw | 71.16 | Wolfgang Schmidt |  East Germany | Berlin | 1978-08-09 | |
| Hammer throw | 80.32 | Karl-Hans Riehm |  West Germany | Heidenheim | 1978-08-06 | |
| 80.14 | Boris Zaitchouk | Soviet Union | Moscow | 1978-07-09 |
Women
| Event | Performance | Athlete | Nation | Meeting | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 m | 22.06 | Marita Koch | East Germany | Erfurt | 1978-05-28 | |
| 400 m | 48.94 | Marita Koch | East Germany | 1978 European Athletics Championships | Prague | 1978-08-31 |
| 49.03 | Marita Koch | East Germany | Potsdam | 1978-08-19 | ||
| 49.19 | Marita Koch | East Germany | Leipzig | 1978-07-02 | ||
| 100 m hurdles | 12.48 | Grażyna Rabsztyn |  Poland | Fürth | 1978-06-10 | |
| 400 m hurdles | 54.89 | Tatyana Zelentsova | Soviet Union | 1978 European Athletics Championships | Prague | 1978-09-02 |
| 4 × 100 metres relay | 42.27 | Johanna Klier Monika Hamann Carla Bodendorf Marlies Göhr | East Germany | Potsdam | 1978-08-19 | |
| High jump | 2.01 | Sara Simeoni |  Italy | Brescia | 1978-08-04 | |
| 2.01 | Sara Simeoni | Italy | 1978 European Athletics Championships | Prague | 1978-08-31 | |
| Long jump | 7.09 | Vilma Bardauskienė | Soviet Union | 1978 European Athletics Championships | Prague | 1978-08-29 |
| 7.07 | Vilma Bardauskienė | Soviet Union | Kishinyov | 1978-08-18 | ||
| Discus throw | 70.72 | Evelin Jahl | East Germany | Dresden | 1978-08-12 |
