Just how fast do the top athletes run? How high or far do they jump? How far do they throw the shot, the javelin or the discus? You can read the figures, but what do they mean?

Experiment with these figures at school. Measure the long jump distance down the corridor. Measure the height of the high jump on the wall. Pace out the distance that athletes throw the shot r javelin.

See how far you can run in the 10 seconds top athletes take to cover 100m.

THINGS TO DO

* See how many of the children’s jumps equal an Olympic record jump.

* Subtract their time for a distance from the Olympic time. How long would they be behind the record-holder?

* Try throwing a similar weight to the shot. How far are they behind the record?