For over a week now, we’ve watched the world’s best athletes compete for gold medals in Rio. There are some sports that we’ve come to know and love over the years, including gymnastics and swimming. However, there are 42 Olympic sports included in the 2016 Summer Olympics, with a total of 306 events taking place over the two weeks. Some of the sports included in the Olympics are relatively unknown, but still have competitors from all over the world. Here’s a list of some of the weirdest sports you’ll find in the 2016 Olympics.
1. Race Walking
Race walking is an event in the Olympics where you must keep one foot in contact with the ground at all times. It was first introduced at the Olympics in 1904, where competitors would do a half mile walk around the track. The distances have changed over the years, and now there is a 20km race for men and women and a 50km race only for men at every Summer Olympics. The mechanics of race walking makes it seem as if the racers are waddling down the track, but the world record holder can walk a mile in seven minutes.
2. Trampolining
If you don’t get enough flips from gymnastics and diving competitions, you can turn to trampolining. The competition consists of 10 contacts, or bounces, on the trampoline as you complete complicated maneuvers in the air. At the end of the round, the competitors must land on their feet and the trampoline must come to a complete stop for three seconds before the trampolinist can get off. It is considered a gymnastics event at the Summer Olympic Games. It is one of the newer Olympic Sports, as it was added in 2000.
3. Modern Pentathlon
The modern pentathlon is an odd sport, combining five very different athletic competitions into one event. The pentathletes have to be proficient in fencing, swimming, show jumping, shooting a pistol and running. Fencing is the only part of the competition where every athlete faces each competitor once. The scores from the other competitions is compiled for a total, which ranks the competitors. This event has been in the Summer Olympics since 1912, but has faced many disputes.
4. Steeplechase
Steeplechase has been an event at the Summer Olympics since 1896. It is a track and field race that consists of 28 barriers, some of which are pools of water. Often, you will see competitors fall face first into the water, or slip because their shoes were wet from the water traps. Both men and women run a 3,000m steeplechase race. This year, one of the women runners finished the qualifying race without a shoe. She came in 7th place, which wasn’t a good enough time to continue to the finals, but she did complete the race.