How is wind measured and read for sprints and hurdles?
Rule- Australia
- Athletics Australia
- Track and field
- All ages
- 2026/27
- Officials
- World Athletics rules
Under the World Athletics Technical Rules:
- The running events referee ensures the wind gauge is placed beside the straight, adjacent to lane 1, 30m from the finish line for 50m and 60m races, or 50m from the finish line for 100m, 110m and 200m races. The measuring plane is 1.22m ± 0.05m high and not more than 2m from the track.
- Wind is measured from the flash or smoke of the starter's gun for: 5 seconds for 50m and 60m (and hurdles); 10 seconds for 100m; 13 seconds for 100m and 110m hurdles.
- For 200m races (except on a 200m standard oval track) wind is normally measured for 10 seconds, starting when the first athlete enters the straight.
- The gauge is read in metres per second, rounded to the next higher tenth in the positive direction unless the second decimal is zero. A reading of +2.03 is recorded as +2.1, and -2.03 as -2.0.
Source: https://worldathletics.org/about-iaaf/documents/book-of-rules (Technical Rules, wind measurement)
Added 24 Oct 2026