1986 in the sport of athletics

This article contains an overview of the year 1986 in the sport of athletics.

International Events

 * Asian Games
 * Balkan Games
 * European Championships
 * European Indoor Championships
 * Commonwealth Games
 * Goodwill Games
 * World Junior Championships

Women

 * Heike Drechsler (GDR) twice equals the world record in the women's 200 metres held by countrywoman Marita Koch since 1979-06-10, clocking 21.71 seconds on 1986-06-29 and 1986-08-29.

Births

 * January 5 &mdash; Roman Novotný, Czech long jumper
 * January 11 &mdash; Claudio Licciardello, Italian sprinter
 * January 15 &mdash; Mariya Abakumova, Russian javelin thrower
 * January 17 &mdash; Sherry Fletcher, Grenadian sprinter
 * January 23 &mdash; Gelete Burka, Ethiopian middle-distance runner
 * January 24 &mdash; Montell Douglas, British sprinter
 * January 31 &mdash; Walter Dix, American sprinter
 * February 11 &mdash; Bob Altena, Dutch decathlete
 * April 1 &mdash; Yurika Nakamura, Japanese long-distance runner
 * April 2 &mdash; Moses Aliwa, Ugandan long-distance runner
 * April 4 &mdash; Evelyne Nganga, Kenyan long-distance runner
 * April 29 &mdash; Ingus Janevics, Latvian race walker
 * May 2 &mdash; Samuel Muturi Mugo, Kenyan long-distance runner
 * May 16 &mdash; Eleni Artymata, Cypriot sprinter
 * June 3 &mdash; Micah Kogo, Kenyan long-distance runner
 * June 8 &mdash; Yadira Guamán, Ecuadorian race walker
 * June 10 &mdash; Amr Ibrahim Mostafa Seoud, Egyptian sprinter
 * June 27 &mdash; LaShawn Merritt, American sprinter
 * July 3 &mdash; Robina Muqimyar, Afghan sprinter
 * July 17 &mdash; Viktor Kuznyetsov, Ukrainian long jumper and triple jumper
 * July 19 &mdash; Philes Ongori, Kenyan long-distance runner
 * July 26 &mdash; Mattias Claesson, Swedish middle-distance runner
 * July 26 &mdash; Angela Moroșanu, Romanian sprinter
 * July 28 &mdash; Nancy Wambui, Kenyan long-distance runner
 * July 28 &mdash; Nickiesha Wilson, Jamaican hurdler
 * August 3 &mdash; Fartun Abukar Omar, Somali athlete
 * August 21 &mdash; Usain Bolt, Jamaican sprinter
 * August 29 &mdash; Yerefu Birhanu, Ethiopian long-distance runner
 * September 9 &mdash; Daniel Bailey, Antigua and Barbuda sprinter
 * November 1 &mdash; Ksenija Balta, Estonian long jumper, sprinter and heptathlete
 * November 10 &mdash; Samuel Wanjiru, Kenyan long-distance runner
 * November 13 &mdash; Sergey Bakulin, Russian race walker
 * November 21 &mdash; Aleksandra Zelenina, Moldovan long and triple jumper
 * December 7 &mdash; Olga Mikhaylova, Russian race walker

Deaths

 * April 13 &mdash; Sulo Bärlund (75), Finnish shot putter (b. 1910)