The 10 Most Absurd Broken Olympic Records in History

Breaking world records is the Platonic ideal of athleticism. Every Olympian wants to be the one to set a new world record in their sport. These ten records are among the most impressive athletic achievements in human history and aren’t likely to be broken for a while (or maybe ever)!

Kaylee McKeown’s Backstroke Record

Australian swimmer Kaylee McKeown broke her own 2021 women’s backstroke record during the 2024 Paris games. She set a new time of 57.33 seconds, even faster than her 57.47 time three years earlier. That will be a difficult record to ever surpass!

Lim Si-Hyeon

During the 2024 Paris Olympics, Lim Si-Hyeon broke a world record in the women’s 72 arrows, 70-meter event. She scored 694 points, just nudging out Kang Chae-young’s record of 692 from 2019. Time will tell if that impressive score can ever be bested.

Six Straight Gold Medals

two person fencing inside the gym — Photo by Eugene Lim

Between 1932 and 1960, Hungarian fencer Aladar Gerevich enjoyed a dominant stretch as an Olympian. He won an unprecedented six straight gold medals in fencing events over 24 years. Notably, two sets of Olympic game were canceled due to the Second World War. Gerevich’s record has only ever been challenged once, when Steve Redgrave won five consecutive gold medals in rowing from 1984 to 2000.

Most Olympic Appearances

person doing polo sport — Photo by melanie hartshorn

Equestrian Ian Miller of Canada holds a fascinating record: he appeared in ten Olympic Games across forty years, from 1972 to 2012. That’s far and away the most Olympic appearances of any athlete, with the next closest competitors appearing in eight events. None of the eight-timers are still competing, so it’ll be some time before this record is ever threatened.

A Perfect Routine

gymnas jumping near the white board — Photo by Eugene Lim

Gymnastics is, by some definitions, a pursuit of perfection. And the “pursuit” part is important, because no one can ever actually achieve perfection, right? Well, Nadia Comaneci was the first Olympian to ever receive perfect 10s from every judge during the 1976 Summer Olympics at only 14 years of age. Her score was unprecedented, and the scoreboards in Montreal couldn’t even display a “10,” instead showing “1.00”.

Team USA Dominates at 1904 Olympics

It’s no secret that Team USA absolutely crushes it on the international stage. But even the mighty modern Americans will likely never touch a record the 1904 team pulled off in St. Louis. That year, the US won 78 gold, 82 silver, and 79 bronze medals for a total of 239. That’s almost 85% of the medals that were up for grabs that year!

Usain Bolt’s 100 Meter Dash

At the 2012 Olympics, Usain Bolt made the impossible look easy. He posted a 100-meter dash time of 9.63 seconds. While that’s not quite as fast as his 2009 sprint time of 9.58 (which is still the world record), it’s easily the fastest in the history of the Olympics.

Kim Yun-mi

Kim Yun-mi, a South Korean speed skater, made history in the 1994 Winter Olympics by becoming the youngest person to ever win a gold medal. She was just 13 years and 86 days old at the time. Her record is unlikely to ever be beaten, as few sports allow athletes any younger than 15 to participate anymore.

China and Table Tennis

red and brown wooden table tennis racket — Photo by Lisa Keffer

China absolutely dominates at table tennis. The sport emerged as an Olympic event in 1988 and in the intervening years, China has won 32 of the 37 available gold medals. That’s a kind of dominance that will likely never be witnessed again in any other sport.

Michael Phelps’ Medals

Michael Phelps isn’t just a good swimmer, he’s the best to ever do it. Don’t believe us? Check out his 28 medals, 23 of which are gold. When he broke that record, the previous holder was Larisa Latynina, who won 18 medals from 1956 to 1964. It gets even more striking: only 9 of Latynina’s were gold.