| 1978 in athletics | |
| Previous: | 1977 |
| Next: | 1979 |
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]
| Event | Performance | Athlete | Nation | Meeting | Place | Date |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3000 m | 7:32.1 | Oslo | 1978-06-27 | |||
| 5000 m | 13:08.4 | Berkeley | 1978-04-08 | |||
| 10,000 m | 27:22.47 | Vienna | 1978-06-11 | |||
| 3000 m steeplechase | 8:05.4 | Seattle | 1978-05-13 | |||
| High jump | 2.34 | Tbilisi | 1978-06-16 | |||
| Pole vault | 5.71 | Corvallis | 1978-05-19 | |||
| Discus throw | 71.16 | Berlin | 1978-08-09 | |||
| Hammer throw | 80.32 | Heidenheim | 1978-08-06 | |||
| 80.14 | Moscow | 1978-07-09 |
| Event | Performance | Athlete | Nation | Meeting | Place | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 200 m | 22.06 | Erfurt | 1978-05-28 | ||||
| 400 m | 48.94 | Prague | 1978-08-31 | ||||
| 49.03 | Potsdam | 1978-08-19 | |||||
| 49.19 | Leipzig | 1978-07-02 | |||||
| 100 m hurdles | 12.48 | Fürth | 1978-06-10 | ||||
| 400 m hurdles | 54.89 | Prague | 1978-09-02 | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres relay | 42.27 | Potsdam | 1978-08-19 | ||||
| High jump | 2.01 | Brescia | 1978-08-04 | ||||
| 2.01 | Prague | 1978-08-31 | |||||
| Long jump | 7.09 | Prague | 1978-08-29 | ||||
| 7.07 | Kishinyov | 1978-08-18 | |||||
| Discus throw | 70.72 | Dresden | 1978-08-12 |
| 100 metres | 10.07 | 10.94 | |||||
| 200 metres | 20.03 | 22.06 | |||||
| 400 metres | 44.27 | 48.94 | |||||
| 800 metres | 1:43.84 | 1:55.80 | |||||
| 1500 metres | 3:35.48 | 3:59.01 | |||||
| Mile run | 3:52.50 | 4:26.90 | |||||
| 3000 metres | 7:32.1 | 8:32.1 | |||||
| 5000 metres | 13:08.4 | align=center colspan=3 | — | ||||
| 10,000 metres | 27:22.47 | align=center colspan=3 | — | ||||
| Marathon | 2:09:05.6 | 2:36:23.1 | |||||
| 100/110 metres hurdles | 13.22 | 12.48 | |||||
| 400 metres hurdles | 47.94 | 54.89 | |||||
| 3000 metres steeplechase | 8:05.4 | align=center colspan=3 | — | ||||
| High jump | 2.34 m | 2.01 m | |||||
| Pole vault | 5.71 m | align=center colspan=3 | — | ||||
| Long jump | 8.32 m | 7.09 m | |||||
| Triple jump | 17.44 m | align=center colspan=3 | — | ||||
| Shot put | 22.15 m | 22.06 m | |||||
| Discus throw | 71.16 m | 70.72 m | |||||
| Hammer throw | 80.32 m | align=center colspan=3 | — | ||||
| Javelin throw | 94.22 m | 69.16 m | |||||
| Decathlon | 8493 pts | align=center colspan=3 | — | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres relay | Tobias Striders | 38.55 | 42.27 | ||||
| 4 × 400 metres relay | 3:02.03 | 3:21.20 |