Olympic records that seem impossible to breaksports
Jul 28, 2024
Olympic records that seem impossible to break
TOI Sports DeskUsain Bolt
In 2008, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt set a new record that seemed impossible to beat, surpassing the previous mark by more than a tenth of a second. The closest any other runner has come to Bolt's time is Tyson Gay, who ran the 100-meter dash in 9.69 seconds, but in the world of elite sprinting, that difference is significant.
Image Source: Agencies
China Table Tennis
China has dominated the sport of table tennis since its introduction to the Olympics in '88. Out of the 100 medals awarded in the sport, China has won an astonishing 53.
Image Source: Agencies
Ian Miller
Ian Miller, the Captain of Team Canada's equestrian team, competed for medals over a span of four decades, from 1972 to 2012. Despite his long and distinguished career, he never managed to secure a gold medal, with his best result being a silver in the team jumping event.
Image Source: Agencies
USA
The United States achieved an unparalleled feat in the 1904 Olympics held in St. Louis. Since the modern Olympic Games began in 1896, no other country has managed to win more medals in a single Olympic event than the US did during that year.
Image Source: Getty Images
Michael Phelps
Michael Phelps is widely considered the greatest athlete in Olympic history, with more gold medals than anyone else by a considerable margin. Several other athletes, including Mark Spitz and Carl Lewis, are tied for a distant second place with nine gold medals each.
Image Source: AFP