Olympic Records You Won’t Believe Exist

The 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France are well underway. Already, athletes from around the world are approaching world records or beating them entirely. Particularly in the realms of shooting, archery, and swimming, athletes from South Korea, China, and the United States have begun to upset world records. Usually, the breaking of Olympic records happens inch by inch, score by score, in a prolonged war of athletic attrition that sometimes lasts for decades. Other Olympic records, however, reach such pinnacles you won’t believe they exist.

Be it a particular country’s penchant for a sport, like China and table Tennis, or one man’s persistence through the decades, like equestrian Ian Miller’s remarkable 40-year run of Olympic appearances, some records remain steadfast. Other records stand because rules and regulations changed over time, ensuring a place in history as with gymnast Nadia Comaneci and her perfect 10 score. More absurdly, some athletes earn records that win no medals but go down as truly singular performances, for better or worse. In this article, we will explore some Olympic records you won’t believe exist.

(For truly absurd records, discover world records that defy imagination. )

To compile a list of Olympic records you won’t believe exist, 24/7 Tempo consulted a range of sports, news, and lifestyle publications including ESPN.com , The Washington Post , and Guinness World Records . Next, we selected athletes with records that are either unlikely to be beaten or stand out for their uniqueness, peculiarity, or unlikely odds. After that, we confirmed aspects of each Olympic record using sites like Yahoo! Sports and Olympics.com .

China and Table Tennis

Since table tennis debuted at the 1988 Seoul Summer Olympics, certain countries have shown a remarkable aptitude for the game. Take China, for example. Since the sport’s debut, Chinese table tennis teams hold one of the Olympic records you won’t believe exist. They have won an incredible 32 of the 37 available gold medals. Beyond pure gold, China also took home 20 silver and eight bronze medals since 1988.

Though South Korea remains China’s closest competitor, its three gold medals pale in comparison to China’s ping-pong dominance. For even more perspective, Japan and Sweden are the only other countries with any table tennis standing. Their standing, however, accounts for just two gold medals. Given China’s incredible table tennis record, it’s likely they will add even more medals to their nearly perfect Olympic table tennis record.

Ian Millar

Though many Olympic records stand in tandem with medal-winning, some come down to pure longevity. Between 1972 and 2012, Canadian Equestrian Ian Millar competed in over 10 separate Olympic Games. Unfortunately, he failed to take home any gold medals in that incredible 40-year span. However, Millar managed to secure a silver medal at the 2008 Beijing Games in the team jumping event, giving him at least one medal for his nearly half-century run.

It’s one of the Olympic records you won’t believe exists, but it’s very real, as even veteran Olympians can’t compete with Millar’s enduring run of Olympic appearances. Other athletes came close, like Austrian sailor Hubert Raudaschl, Latvian shooter Afanasijs Kuzmins, and former Soviet Union shooter Nino Salukvadze. However, they come just shy of Millar with eight Olympic appearances each. It’s also likely a record that won’t be broken for some time as none of these athletes still compete at that level.

Shizo Kanakuri

While most Olympic records come down to conventional time-setting records or quantity of medals, some athletes take more unconventional routes. Once called the “father of the marathon,” Japanese runner Shizo Kanakuri set a world record in the domestic trials for the 1912 Stockholm Olympics. As such, he was one of two Japanese runners selected for that year’s Olympics. Paying his own way, Kanakuri endured a grueling 18-day-long trip to Stockholm, first by ship, then the rest of the way via the Trans-Siberian Railway.

Already exhausted from the journey, Kanakuri grew weaker from an intolerance to local food and an inability to sleep due to the midnight sun. To make matters worse, the marathon occurred during an unprecedented heatwave that caused fellow runner Francisco Lázaro to collapse and die. For his part, Kanakuri battled hyperthermia as he ran. Sixteen miles into the race, an exhausted Kanakuri made a detour from the course, wandering into a nearby garden party where he drank orange juice for an hour. Embarrassed, Kanakuri quietly returned to Japan, failing to inform Swedish Olympic officials.

Though he went on to live a normal life in Japan, Swedish officials kept him on a missing persons list for years. Over 50 years later, a Swedish reporter discovered Kanakuri teaching in Southern Japan. After a Swedish television channel offered him a chance to finish the race, he promptly got on a plane, landed in Sweden, and warmed up on the tarmac. After finally finishing the marathon on March 20, 1967, Kanakuri logged the longest time in marathon history: 54 years, 8 months, 6 days, 5 hours, 32 minutes, and 20.3 seconds.

Usain Bolt

When Usain Bolt first appeared on the Olympic stage, he turned heads. Not only did he blaze by the competition, but he did it in style, with a media-ready charisma to match. During his impressive run, Bolt earned three gold medals in the 100-meter dash and earned multiple Olympic records you won’t believe exist. First, he set a world record in the 100-meter dash at 9.69 seconds during the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics. Four years later, Bolt bested the world record again after running the 100-meter dash in 9.63 seconds.

Though it wasn’t at the Olympics, he managed to beat the world record a third time at the 2009 World Championships with 9.58 seconds in the 100-meter dash. Not only does Bolt still hold the top two world records for the 100-meter dash in the Olympics, but he also holds the world record for the 200-meter dash with a time of 19.19 seconds. Not bad, considering Bolt famously subsisted on a diet of McDonald’s chicken nuggets during his multi-year Olympic reign.

Nadia Comaneci

Throughout her storied career, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci earned an impressive five gold medals. To earn one of those gold medals, however, Comaneci broke one of the Olympic records you won’t believe exists. At the tender age of 14 years old, Comaneci made history during the 1976 Montreal Summer Olympics after earning a perfect 10 score. This achievement was so rare, that the Montreal scoreboards registered her score as 1.00. That’s because they weren’t programmed to go all the way up to 10.0.

Less than a decade later, USA team gymnast Mary Lou Retton also made the history books by scoring perfect 10s in both the floor routine and vault contests. Though it took away some of her luster, Comaneci remains the first athlete to ever get a perfect score. Plus, the record will never be broken again, as the International Gymnastics Federation changed its scoring system away from the 10.0 model.

Kim Yun-mi

Much like the previous entry Nadia Comaneci, South Korean speed skater Kim Yun-mi holds one of the Olympic records you won’t believe exist. During the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Olympics, Yun-mi took home gold in the women’s 3,000-meter relay. While it’s an impressive feat, the fact that she was only 13 years and 86 days old makes it truly remarkable. Plus, it’s a record that may never be beaten again.

The International Olympic Committee (IOC), does not set minimum age limits for Olympic competitions. That is left up to specific sports federations, which set minimum age limits instead. After Yun-mi’s remarkable record, the International Skating Union raised its minimum age to 15 to “protect the development of young athletes.” This ensures that no one will ever top Yu-mi’s adolescent record.

Red Gerard

Most Olympic athletes train year-round to get into competing shape, adhering to strict exercise routines and even stricter diets. Others, however, manage to take home gold, stumbling into victory, even when forces seem to ensure they will lose. Take US snowboarder, Red Gerard, for example. During the 2018 Winter Olympics, Gerard took home a gold medal in the slopestyle competition. While impressive, what makes this victory notable is the circumstances surrounding it.

Famously, Gerard partied too hard the night before the competition, oversleeping after staying up late binge-watching “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” Upon his rude awakening, Gerard lost his snowboarding jacket and was forced to borrow his roommate’s. Plus, upon his remarkable gold medal win, Gerard accidentally used profanity during a post-contest television interview. Though he never competed in the Olympics again, Gerard became the first Winter medalist born in the 2000s. He also became the youngest American to medal in snowboarding at the Olympics.

(For other unlikely victories, this athlete came back from a broken neck to win an Olympic gold. )

Aladar Gerevich

Many consider Aladar Gerevich “the greatest Olympic swordsman ever,” and for good reason. During his athletic career, Hungarian fencer Gerevich held a 24-year reign of dominance that remains unchallenged to this day. His first appearance, at the 1932 Los Angeles Summer Olympics netted him a gold medal in the fencing sabre team. From there, Gerevich continued to earn fencing gold medals for the next several decades. Even when World War II put a stop to normal Olympic competitions, Gerevich’s persistence and durability ensured more gold medals once the games resumed in 1948.

What makes it even more impressive, is that Gerevich became the first person to earn one of the Olympic records you won’t believe exist. He earned gold medals in the team sabre competition an unprecedented 28 years apart. Funnily enough, it almost didn’t happen. During the Hungarian trials for the 1960 Rome Olympics, the fencing committee declared Gerevich too old to compete. He called their bluff, however, after challenging the entire sabre team to individual duels and winning every single one. While his record 28-year-apart gold medals were later broken, Gerevich remains the first person to keep the competitive spirit alive through World Wars and aging.

Team USA, 1904 Olympics

During the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics, Team USA made history after becoming the first country to earn 1,000 gold medals since the modern Olympics began in 1896. Upon entering this year’s Summer Olympics in Paris, Team USA still held first place with a combined 1,183 gold medals and 2,985 total. The Soviet Union and (now) Russian Federation stand in second place with a relatively paltry 473 gold medals and 1,204 total medals. While these accumulations are impressive, nothing compares to Team USA’s performance at the 1904 St. Louis Summer Olympics.

In another of the Olympic records you won’t believe exist, Team USA gave a godlike performance that year. Operating on home turf in St. Louis, USA athletes earned an unheard-of 239 medals in a single Olympic Games. With 78 gold medals, 82 silver, and 79 bronze, Team USA won almost 85% of all medals available during the 1904 Olympics. With such standout performances, it’s unlikely any country will ever top that record.

Michael Phelps

Of all the Olympic athletes on this or any list, Michael Phelps needs the least introduction. He remains one of the most famous Olympic athletes in history, and probably the most famous American Olympian besides Mark Spitz or Michael Johnson. During his breakout performance at the 2008 Beijing Summer Olympic Games, swimmer Michael Phelps set a new Olympic record after winning eight gold medals. Less than a decade later, Phelps earned his 23rd gold medal at the 2016 Rio Summer Olympics.

During his relatively brief Olympic career, Phelps has won over 80% of the competitions he entered. With a combined total of 28 medals, Phelps holds the type of record that may never be broken. To put it in perspective, his closest competitor is Soviet Union gymnast Larisa Latynina. During her run between 1956 to 1964, Latynina won 18 medals, including nine gold. That’s still ten shy of arguably the greatest Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps.

(For other unbeatable records, this long jump record has outlasted over a half-century of Olympians. )

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