Power ranking every single sport at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics

11. Hurdles

How did hurdles start? Did someone who’s sick in the head think, “Running as fast as you can isn’t enough; they need obstacles?” The concept is somewhat ridiculous, but that doesn’t mean we don’t absolutely love the result. 

This is another example of an event we parcelled out from the original labeling. The hurdles event is just so much different than regular sprint races. It’s basically the most organized obstacle course we’ve ever seen (wait, obstacle course should definitely be an Olympic event). Hurdles have been a part of the Olympics since its return in 1896. However, its history goes back decades, with early sprinters running from one hurdle to the next, coming to a full stop so they could jump over with both feet and then running again.

Now, runners in the hurdles don’t lose a moment going through the track. They go through full speed and jump just high enough to clear the bar and not a centimeter more. They also seem to be above the ground for exactly one-quarter of a second. It’s categorically insane. 

It also has the great finish we get from any other foot race. The only reason this falls outside of the top ten is there is a much higher chance the race goes off the rails. Yes, sometimes that’s entertaining, but we don’t always get pure greatness winning a gold medal. Once in a blue moon, someone can luck into one.