1987 in the sport of athletics

This article contains an overview of the year 1987 in athletics.

International Events

 * All-Africa Games
 * Asian Championships
 * Central American and Caribbean Championships
 * European Indoor Championships
 * Mediterranean Games
 * Pan American Games
 * World Championships
 * World Indoor Championships
 * World Cross Country Championships
 * World Student Games

Men
Carl Lewis (USA) equalled the world record in the men's 100 metres held by countryman Calvin Smith since 1983-07-03, clocking 9.93 seconds on 1987-08-30 at the World Championships in Rome, Italy.

Women
Jackie Joyner-Kersee (USA) equalled the world record in the women's long jump held by East Germany's Heike Drechsler since 1986-06-21, jumping 7.45 metres on 1987-08-13 at a meet in Indianapolis.

100 metres

 * Main race this year: World Championships 100 metres

200 metres

 * Main race this year: World Championships 200 metres

400 metres

 * Main race this year: World Championships 400 metres

800 metres

 * Main race this year: World Championships 800 metres

1,500 metres

 * Main race this year: World Championships 1.500 metres

5,000 metres

 * Main race this year: World Championships 5.000 metres

10,000 metres

 * Main race this year: World Championships 10.000 metres

Marathon

 * Main race this year: World Championships Marathon

110m hurdles

 * Main race this year: World Championships 110m hurdles

400m hurdles

 * Main race this year: World Championships 400m hurdles

3,000m steeplechase

 * Main race this year: World Championships 3.000m steeplechase

High jump

 * Main competition this year: World Championships High Jump

Long jump

 * Main competition this year: World Championships Long Jump

Triple jump

 * Main competition this year: World Championships Triple Jump

Discus

 * Main competition this year: World Championships Discus Throw

Shot put

 * Main competition this year: World Championships Shot Put

Javelin (new design)

 * Main competition this year: World Championships Javelin Throw

Pole vault

 * Main competition this year: World Championships Pole Vault

Decathlon

 * Main competition this year: World Championships Decathlon

Births

 * January 1 &mdash; Rytis Sakalauskas, Lithuanian sprinter
 * January 17 &mdash; Svetlana Radzivil, Uzbekistani high jumper
 * January 27 &mdash; Liliya Kulyk, Ukrainian triple jumper
 * March 5 &mdash; Vitalij Kozlov, Lithuanian middle-distance runner
 * April 17 &mdash; Atsede Baysa, Ethiopian long-distance runner
 * April 24 &mdash; Franklin Nazareno, Ecuadorian sprinter
 * July 14 &mdash; Margus Hunt, Estonian discus thrower
 * July 22 &mdash; Hugo Chila, Ecuadorian long jumper and triple jumper
 * August 9 &mdash; Marek Niit, Estonian sprinter
 * September 1 &mdash; Leonel Suárez, Cuban decathlete
 * September 13 &mdash; Vincent Kipruto, Kenyan long-distance runner
 * October 3 &mdash; Ancuța Bobocel, Romanian long-distance runner
 * November 1 &mdash; Jimmy Adar, Ugandan middle-distance runner
 * November 17 &mdash; Nadiya Dusanova, Uzbekistani high jumper
 * December 1 &mdash; Tabarie Henry, United States Virgin Islands sprinter
 * December 21 &mdash; Denis Alekseyev, Russian sprinter

Deaths

 * March 17 — Georg Lammers (81), German athlete (b. 1905)
 * October 20 — Jerzy Chromik (56), Polish long-distance runner (b. 1931)