Olympic record holder. Unusual Olympic records. The most sensational record

The leadership of the English Athletics Federation put forward the idea of resetting world records due to the large number and scale of doping scandals in 2015. The initiative found understanding with President Sebastian Coe.

He proposed canceling "suspicious" superior results that could be achieved using illegal drugs. Such records still seem unattainable today.

Story

The first professional athletes appeared in the middle of the 19th century in England. At the same time, the registration of the best results in various types of athletics competitions began for the first time. The first world records in athletics were recorded in the 1-mile run. With the organization of international governing bodies, the IAAF, in 1914, rules were developed for the registration of highest achievements and a list of disciplines in which they were recorded.

Gradually, methods for measuring results and the conditions for holding competitions were regulated so that the value of records was not questioned. In 1968 in Mexico City, at the Olympic Games, a highly automated time measurement system was used for the first time in running disciplines. The result was recorded with an accuracy of hundredths of a second. World records in athletics in throwing and jumping began to be recorded using the most modern measuring instruments and electronic systems.

Basic rules for ratifying world records

To put athletes on a level playing field, strict rules set by the IAAF must be followed for a record to be valid. So, finishing equipment, markings - everything must comply with approved standards. World records - the best results in athletics - are not recorded in competitions where athletes of different genders participate, or if athletes with different nationalities run in a relay team. When conducting sprint races up to 200 m and horizontal jumps, the tailwind should not exceed 2 m/s. For all-around competitions, wind gusts of up to 4 m/s are allowed.

The most important condition for the successful registration of world records in athletics with international sports bodies is the implementation of strict anti-doping control measures. Any violations of the rules for taking samples and conducting their research make the highest achievements illegitimate. It is around these questions that doubts about the regularity of particularly extraordinary world achievements revolve.

Varieties of world achievements

The most prestigious records in the athletics world are those set by men and women in Olympic athletics, in competitions held outdoors. After the Olympics, the second most important athletics competition is the summer world championship. World Athletics Championship records are an honorable achievement for any runner, thrower or all-around athlete. Winter championships, held in indoor sports arenas, have their own specifics and their own table of highest achievements.

Any significant athletic competition has its own history, and therefore its own table of achievements. Records of the Olympic Games, continental championships, and the largest stages of the track and field Grand Prix are a significant incentive for any athlete. The largest sports facilities also keep their records of the best results, which can be constantly updated.

Records at different ages

In the history of sports there are many stars who showed record results at different stages of their sports career. In the table where the world records in athletics among juniors are listed, there are the names of those who later achieved the highest results as adults. The fastest sprinter on the planet, Usain Bolt, holds the world record in the 200 m race for juniors - 19.93 s and seniors - 19.19 s.

After finishing his career in big sports, a real athlete does not stop active training. Holding competitions between veterans contributes to the popularity of sports, and world records in athletics among veterans are an excellent incentive not to reduce competitive activity in adulthood. Athletes compete in their age groups and strive to break the records set by their peers.

Leap into the next millennium

Experts are often asked how often they will be updated and to what level the highest results in different athletics disciplines can be achieved. History contains records that seemed unshakable, but were surpassed by athletes of future generations. One of the most striking examples is the achievement of long jumper Bob Beamon.

In the final of the Olympics in Mexico City, he managed to jump 8.90 m. The previous world record was exceeded by a fantastic 55 cm. On the day of the final, it was drizzling, the wind was within normal limits. They said that he, like all athletes, was helped by the high altitude. For a long time the judges could not correctly measure Beamon’s “flight”, and when record numbers appeared, no one could believe their correctness for a long time. This record was considered eternal, but 23 years have passed, and the American jumper exceeded it at the 1991 World Championships in Tokyo by 5 cm. Beamon's achievement remains an Olympic record.

Oldest record

If a decision is made to reset the table of world records, achievements that may well be half a century old will also fall. The oldest world records in athletics were set at a time when the use of stimulants was not subject to such severe bans as today. Therefore, many people express the inappropriateness of their presence in the list of the highest achievements, although they are shown not as “caliphs for an hour,” but as athletes who have gone through a long and difficult path to the top.

On July 26, 1983, Czechoslovakian runner Jarmila Kratokhvilova ran 2 laps around the stadium - 800 m - in 1 minute 53.28 seconds. She was already an experienced athlete and had been a sprinter before middle-distance running. Her result seems unrealistic for today's runners.

The oldest world record related to the disciplines included in the athletics program is the indoor shot put record, also shown by the Czechoslovakian athlete Helena Fibingerova. On February 19, 1977, she sent a projectile to 20 m 50 cm. The best result for the open arena is also an old-timer, he is only 9 years younger and 13 cm longer. It belongs to the Soviet athlete Natalya Lisovskaya.

High performance sport

A world record is not only a benchmark for everyone who plays sports at a high level. In the modern world, where sport is a developed branch of mass entertainment, material incentives are also important. Bonuses and payments that are intended for world record-breaking athletes are expressed in significant numbers. It is no coincidence that the pole vault, a form in which the final height is set by the athlete and coach, has the largest number of successful attempts to set a new world record. The legendary Sergei Bubka is the author of 35 world records, and Elena Isimbaeva raised the bar to a record 28 times.

The Olympic Games are the main start in the life of any athlete. Participants approach it at the peak of their form and capabilities. And if you add a good dose of adrenaline and the Olympic spirit to one hundred percent physical readiness, you can get a recipe for a successful performance that will be entered into the book of records.

All 70 arrows in the "ten"

The first world record at the Olympics was set even before the official opening ceremony of the Games. In the preliminary archery competition, where participants simply allocated places in the playoff bracket of an individual tournament, the representative of South Korea, Kim Woo-jin, accomplished the seemingly impossible - all of his 70 arrows flew into the top ten. This is an absolute result that can only be repeated, but cannot be beaten. Kim Woo-jin improved by one point the previous world achievement of his compatriot Lim Dong-hyun, who also set his record at the Olympic competitions - four years ago in London 2012. So, archery records in the pre-Olympic days are already becoming a tradition.

As for Kim Woo-jin, in Rio de Janeiro he won a gold medal in the team tournament as part of his team, but in the individual competition, where he was naturally seeded number one, the South Korean sensationally lost in the 1/16 finals to the little-known Indonesian Riau Ega Agatu. It’s one thing to hit targets in an abstract competition with all participants in the qualifications, and quite another to wage a head-to-head fight with a specific opponent.

The pool seemed to get shorter

After the abolition of high-tech overalls in 2009, in which swimmers literally began to beat the stopwatch, few believed in the further progress of swimming. Before each new start, bets were made on who would be able to break the world record and at what distance. And each time the record holders surprised with their results. In Rio, they began the race for records in the qualifying swims of the first day of the competition. True, here too there were skeptics who believe that the organizers of the Games are again to blame for everything. They allegedly built a swimming pool with lanes 2cm shorter than the 50m Olympic standard.

Nevertheless, all seven records have been ratified. Two belonged to the British Adam Peaty in the 100m breaststroke (57.55 in the preliminary heat and 57.13 in the final). The rest of the heroines are women: the Australian relay team (4x100 freestyle, 3:30.65), Sweden's Sarah Sjoström (100 and butterfly, 55.48), American Katie Ledecky (400 and 800 m freestyle, 3:56.46 and 8:04.79, respectively) , Hungarian Katinka Hosshu (400m individual medley, 4.26.36). Most of all I want to be happy for the “Iron Lady” from Hungary. She chased this record for seven years. And for Olympic gold - 12, from the 2004 Games in Athens.

Grandma won't teach you anything bad

In athletics, Polish athlete Anita Wlodarczyk is improving her results with enviable consistency. In Rio, she threw the hammer at 82.29 m, beating her own achievement of 2015 (81.08 m). Although we are not talking about seconds at all, this was the “fastest” record. The rest had to wait much longer.

Ethiopian Almaz Ayana won the gold medal in the 10,000 meters, finishing in 29 minutes 17.45 seconds. The previous record holder, Chinese Wang Junxia, was photographed in front of a scoreboard with the letters WR back in 1993 (29:31.78).

But the most unexpected champion and record holder was the South African athlete Wayde van Niekerk. He ran in lane eight, which was considered awkward. But this circumstance did not prevent him from winning the 400 m race with a result of 43.03 seconds. The record for this distance has stood since 1999 and belonged to the American Michael Johnson (43.18). It’s funny, but van Niekerk is trained by his own grandmother, who is already 74 years old. And it seems that the old lady knows a lot about running.

Pentacampions in swimsuits

Natalya Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina each won two gold medals in Rio - in a duet and in a group, thus becoming five-time Olympic champions. For synchronized swimmers, this is a repeat of the record of Anastasia Davydova, who retired after London. Considering that only two sets of awards are awarded at the Olympics, it is very difficult to assemble such a collection. For example, at the world championships, girls compete for seven sets. So Natasha is a 19-time champion, Sveta is an 18-time champion. Will Ishchenko and Romashina be able to surpass their Rio Olympic achievement? At least so far the girls have not announced their retirement. But in any case, they have already rewritten the history of synchronized swimming.

And Asya Davydova, and Natasha Ishchenko, and Sveta Romashina are completely different. Each of them had their own path to achieving success, each of them developed it in their own way,” said Tatyana Danchenko, coach of the Ishchenko-Romashina duet. - This era of fivefold for each of them requires a separate volume of biography; it certainly cannot be covered in one volume.

Karelin in a skirt

In swimming you can win several medals in one Olympics. But to become a multiple champion, for example, in wrestling, you need to remain a hegemon for many years. Even two “golds” for an individual wrestler is very cool. Three-time Olympic champions in wrestling can be counted on one hand. In addition to our Alexander Karelin and Buvaysar Saitiev, there are six more people, including the Cuban Mihan Lopez, who has joined the cohort of greats already here in Rio.

So the achievement of Japanese Kaori Ityo, who became a four-time winner of Olympic gold in Brazil, can be called transcendental. Just think: Ityo won the Olympics for the first time back in 2004 in Athens! In her weight, up to 63 kg, she had no equal in Beijing 2008 and London 2012. Starting from the 2014 World Championships in Tashkent, Kaori changed her weight (up to 58 kg), but this did not affect her success in any way. By the time she arrived in Rio, the Japanese woman had not lost at the World Championships and Olympics for 14 years.

Our Valeria Koblova was close to breaking this fantastic streak, but, leading in the score, the Russian woman missed out on the victory in the last seconds. And thus contributed to Ityo’s great record.

Golden Rugby

It doesn’t often happen that the first Olympic medal in a country’s history turns out to be gold. This happened in Rio de Janeiro.

Fiji athletes have been taking part in the Games since 1976. During this time, the state, located on an archipelago in the Pacific Ocean, represented 72 people in nine sports at the Olympics. Boxing, cycling, judo, athletics, sailing, archery, weightlifting - as it turned out, the list was missing rugby sevens, in which the Fijians are the dockers. Suffice it to say that they were the ones who won the most prestigious World Series of Rugby Sevens in the last two seasons.

In Rio de Janeiro, rugby sevens was included in the Olympic program for the first time, and the islanders took full advantage of the opportunity. From six matches in the men's tournament, Fiji recorded six wins to claim historic honours.

Among the Olympic medalists who won the first gold for their country, Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling deserves special mention. If only because the 21-year-old guy defeated the great and terrible Michael Phelps, and at the American’s favorite distance - the 100 butterfly.

The British sped off

“The velodrome in Rio is very fast for a new track. Therefore, there will be a lot of records here,” our silver medalist in the team sprint Anastasia Voinova looked at the water. During the Olympics, seven world achievements were broken here: more often, records were updated only in weightlifting and swimming (eight each).

The authorship of five out of seven records belongs to British racers, which is not surprising. The British team competed here at the 2012 London Home Games, winning six top medals. It is interesting that three world achievements were consistently renewed by the British in the team pursuit. In fact, they did this in every race they entered.

Among those who diluted the sovereignty of the United Kingdom are Chinese women Qinjie Gong and Tianshi Zhong. In one of the preliminary races in the team sprint, they set an Olympic record, and in the semifinals - a world record. The duet of our girls Nastya Voinova and Daria Shmeleva indirectly contributed to these achievements. After all, the Chinese competed in absentia or in person with them.

The athletes who show the best results during the entire Olympic Games become an Olympic record holder. True, for this he needs to engage in one of the following sports: athletics or weightlifting, shooting, including archery, swimming, speed skating (including short track) and cycling. In total, 128 highest achievements of the Games are recorded in the table of Olympic records.

Unfortunately, the International Olympic Committee does not recognize records in other sports. But those who became interested in the sport in childhood and achieved outstanding success in their homeland have every chance to write their name into the history of the Olympic Games not just by being present at them. Due to the large number of disciplines, it is easiest for track and field athletes to do this, and therefore there are always more of them in the corresponding lists.

Usain Bolt. Jamaica

In the 100 m race at the London Games in 2012, the athlete set an Olympic record, covering the distance in 9.63 seconds. The previous record, set in 2008 in Beijing, also belonged to him - 9.69 s. At the same time, he ran 200 m in 19.30 s. It is noteworthy that the world records at these distances also belong to him - 9.58 and 19.19 s. Throughout his career, the athlete set a total of 8 world records, became an Olympic champion 6 times and a world champion 11 times.

Sven Kramer. Norway

At the Sochi Olympics in 2014, the speed skater spent only 6 minutes 10.76 seconds on the 5000 m distance. He is one of the most decorated athletes in the history of this sport, a three-time Olympic champion, an eight-time world champion in classical all-around, and a 17-time world champion in individual distances.

Elena Isinbaeva, Russia

In Beijing in 2008, she cleared a height of 5.05 m in the pole vault. Throughout her career, she has set about 30 records in this discipline, including the current one - 5.06 m (2009). She became an Olympic champion twice, won the World Championships three times and the World Indoor Championships four times.

Kenenisa Bekele. Ethiopia

At the Olympic Games in Beijing in 2008, he set two records at once: 5000 m and 10,000 m, running the first distance in 12 minutes 57.82 s, the second in 27 minutes 1.17 s. A three-time Olympic champion, he won the world championships 22 times (6 times in classic running and 16 times in cross-country running).

Michael Phelps. USA

At the Beijing Games, he covered the 400 m medley distance in 4 minutes 3.84 seconds. Known as the "Baltimore Bullet" and "Flying Fish", he set 39 world records during his career. At the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, he won five gold medals and is now a 23-time Olympic champion (he surpassed Larisa Latynina in the total number of Olympic awards back in 2012, now he has 27 medals) and a 26-time world champion .

Andreas Torkildsen. Norway

At the Beijing Games in 2008 he threw the javelin 90.57 m. He is the first javelin thrower in history to win gold medals at the Olympic Games, World Championships and European Championships. The world junior record (83.87 m), set by him back in 2001, has still not been broken.

Jason Kenny. Great Britain

During the home Games in London, while still qualifying, the cyclist set a record in the sprint race (200 m from a standing start), covering the distance in 9.713 s and reaching an average speed of 74.127 km/h. After that, he easily won the gold medal.

Lim Dong Hyun. South Korea

At the London Olympics in archery (12 series of 6 arrows from a distance of 70 m), he scored 699 points out of 720 possible, setting a new record. Interestingly, the athlete suffers from severe myopia, but does not wear contact lenses or glasses. The Korean is guided only by the bright colors of the target.

Katerina Emmons, Czech Republic

At the 2008 Olympics, she scored 503.5 points in the 10m air rifle. At the same time, in qualifying she repeated the world record, scoring 400 points out of 400 possible. Only 11 athletes in the world can boast of this.

Tatiana Lysenko. Russia

At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, she set an Olympic record in the hammer throw, throwing the projectile at 77.56 m in her first attempt. In the fifth attempt, she improved the result to 78.18 m and became an Olympic champion. A year later, she updated the world record - 78.80 m.

As you know, the main Olympic motto is “faster, higher, stronger!” First uttered by the French priest Henri Didon and taken up by the founder of the modern Olympic movement, Pierre de Coubertin, it became a reflection of the main goal of all athletes in the world.

Perhaps these three words are perfectly applicable to athletics. Judge for yourself: faster - about running, higher - about jumping, stronger - about throwing (and pushing). And there is a category of people in this sport that corresponds to this motto to the maximum. We are talking about world record holders. And although the IAAF may deprive some of them of this status (), their names are forever inscribed in history.

On the eve of the World Championships in London, XSPORT decided to recall the most famous world records in athletics. Since it is not possible to talk about everyone due to the huge number of disciplines in the “queen of sports,” we decided to highlight the record breaking records, so we created several nominations. The only note is that our competition program included achievements only in those events that are included in the program of the Olympic Games and World Cups (in London, for the first time in the history of the World Championships, a 50 km walking competition among women will be held, so we are also considering this record).

YOUNGEST RECORD

Anita Wlodarczyk

Here our prize goes to the Polish hammer thrower Anita Wlodarczyk. In total, she broke the world record 6 times, and her last achievement dates back to August 28, 2016. A week after the closing of the Olympic Games in Rio, at which the athlete, by the way, also Wlodarczyk in her native Warsaw at the Kamila Skolimowska Memorial. The Polish woman remains the only girl who managed to clear the 80-meter mark. And what’s most interesting is that at the same Games in Rio, her result was 4 meters further than that of Dilshod Nazarov, the Olympic champion among men.

The youngest also had every chance of becoming a record Ruth Jebet. On August 27, at the Diamond League stage in Paris, an athlete from Bahrain surpassed the achievement of Gulnara Galkina in steeplechase. However, just two days later, Wlodarczyk set her next record. At the World Championships in London, Jebet has a chance to get even with Anita, since her final will be 4 days later.

OLDEST RECORD

Jarmila Kratokhvilova (in first position)

Jarmila Kratokhvilova reached the peak of her career only at the age of 32. An athlete from the now defunct country of Czechoslovakia remained for a long time in the shadow of her rivals from the GDR at her favorite distance of 400 meters. In 1983, she came to a tournament in Munich, where she entered the 800-meter race. Jarmila ran two laps around the stadium in a record 1:53:28.

Two weeks later, Kratokhvilova competed at the first ever World Athletics Championships, which was hosted by Helsinki. In Finland, the Czech, despite an incredibly busy schedule, won gold in both the 400-meter and 800-meter events. Moreover, in the first event she again broke the world record, becoming the first athlete to run under 48 seconds (47.99). And although Marita Koch surpassed that achievement two years later (47.60 seconds), the 800-meter record has not been surpassed by anyone for 34 years, making it the longest standing.

FASTEST RECORD

Usain Bolt

At the 2009 World Championships in Berlin Usain Bolt ran the 100-meter dash in 9.58 seconds. The very next day, experts published data on the speed that Lightning developed. He covered the 60-80 meter section in 1.61 seconds, accelerating in this segment to 44.72 km/h. No one has ever run faster.

SLOWEST RECORD

Ines Enriquez (foreground)

As we have already said, the women's 50 km walk will make its debut at the world championships. This view will be the longest in London. Judge for yourself - the world record for a distance that approximately corresponds to the length of Kyiv from north to south is 4 hours 08 minutes 26 seconds. Its author is Ines Enriquez from Portugal. She established her achievement in the village of Porto de Mos in her homeland. Its average speed was 12 km/h.

HIGHEST RECORD

Sergey Bubka and Renaud Lavillenie

Since we agreed to consider only Olympic disciplines, our championship in this nomination goes to Sergey Bubka. Exactly 23 years ago, in the Italian highlands, a Ukrainian set his last world record in the pole vault - 6 m 14 cm. A year earlier in Donetsk, the Olympic champion of Seoul cleared the bar at a height of 6 m 15 cm. However, the Pole Stars tournament, which, as is known , always took place at the Druzhba Sports Palace, that is, indoors, but at the Games and World Championships they compete outdoors.

Bubka's Donetsk record was broken in 2014 Renault Lavillenie. At the same “Pole Stars” tournament and in front of Sergei Nazarovich himself, the Frenchman conquered 6.16 m. But let’s make a reservation once again, it was indoors. But Lavillenie’s personal best in stadiums is only 6.05 m.

Well, one last thing about this nomination. In 1991, Bubka won the last world championship gold as part of the USSR national team (the athlete won the world championships for Ukraine three more times). In Tokyo, he won with a modest result of 5.95 m. But thanks to computers, it was possible to establish that in his winning attempt he jumped with such a margin that he would have conquered the bar at a height of 6.37 m.

LONGEST RECORD

Uwe Hohn and Jan Zelezny

Here we immediately need to tell the background story. In the mid-1980s, the IAAF had to redesign the men's javelin. The center of gravity was shifted forward, causing the projectile to descend earlier than the older version with a center of gravity in the middle. The culprit of such changes was Uwe Hohn. In 1984, an athlete from the GDR threw the javelin 104.80 m, just two meters from the edge of the field. Such long-distance attempts endangered the safety of other athletes who were on the treadmill.

The projectile was changed, but several years passed, and the IAAF again began to think about the safety of this discipline. On May 25, 1996, at a competition in the German city of Jena, an outstanding Czech Jan Zelezny threw the javelin at 98.48 m. It is this achievement that is listed as the official world record, however, with the note “according to the new rules.” The farthest is Uwe Hohn's attempt at 104.80 meters.

THE MOST SENSATIONAL RECORD

This is certainly the most subjective nomination in our ranking. And the championship here goes to the record set at the Olympic Games in Rio. The men's 400m final had no clear favorite. Before the start Kirani James, Lashawn Merritt And Weide van Niekerk were equally considered as contenders for gold. However, what the latter did became a real sensation. The South African produced a phenomenal run that lasted 17 years. Moreover, van Niekerk immediately took 15 hundredths from the result of the famous American. And in general, he almost ran out of 43 seconds - the chronometers recorded a result of 43.03 seconds.

Vaide is generally a unique athlete. He is the only athlete in history to run under 10 seconds in the 100m (9.98 seconds), under 20 seconds in the 200m (19.84 seconds) and under 44 seconds in the 400m. It’s funny that the athlete himself doesn’t really like the last distance. He once stated that...

Weide van Niekerk in front of his achievement

THE MOST AFFECTING RECORD

Kendra Harrison failed to qualify for the 2016 Olympics in Rio in the 100m hurdles. At the national qualifying tournament in the USA, the American showed only the fourth result. There were only three trips to Brazil. This was a real blow for the athlete. She was able to take out all her anger at the Diamond League stage in London, which took place a month before the 2016 Games. Harrison not only outperformed her teammates, but also. Kendra covered the distance in 12.20 seconds. But I still didn’t go to Brazil.

THE MOST TRAGIC RECORD

It's not often that world records are set at small local tournaments. But the achievement of the American Florence Griffith-Joyner just one of those. On one July day in 1988, at the Olympic qualifying competitions held in Indianapolis, she ran 100 meters in 10.49 seconds and broke the world record. And she did it at the 1/4 final stage. On the same day, but a little earlier, Florence covered the same distance in 10.60 seconds. But that time, which at that time was the fastest in history, was not counted as a record due to a strong tailwind. Interestingly, already in the quarterfinals, Griffith-Joyner was running in almost still air.

At the 1988 Games in Seoul, for which the athlete successfully qualified, she won three gold medals - in the 100-meter, 200-meter and 4x100-meter relay. Moreover, she covered 200 meters with a world record, which also holds to this day (21.34 seconds).

What made Griffith-Joyner's achievements tragic was her subsequent fate. Already in 1989, the athlete left professional sports at the peak of her fame. Even before this event, many colleagues and experts said that Florence was taking doping, and after the sudden end of her career, these conversations became more frequent. In 1990, the athlete began to have health problems and suffered heart attacks. Griffith-Joyner's sudden death at age 38 only added to the suspicion. However, her name is still on the list of world record holders. Moreover, in those sports that are considered elite in athletics.

Florence Griffith-Joyner after success at the Seoul Olympics

RECORD BREAKER

Another nomination in which the palm goes to Sergey Bubka. The Ukrainian pole vaulter became the first to clear the 6-meter bar. In total, the current NOC president has broken world records 35 times. And of course you can complain that each time he added one centimeter to the previous achievement. But just think about this number. For comparison, Elena Isinbaeva, who also pole vaulted, stopped at 20 world records.

OUR RECORD BREAKERS

Sergey Bubka, Inessa Kravets, Yuri Sedykh

Another nomination for Sergei Bubka. But here he must share the prize with two more colleagues. We talked a lot about the achievement of a pole vaulter above, but about Inessa Kravets haven't spoken yet. The athlete, born in Dnepr, specialized in the triple jump - the event that brought our country three Olympic awards (1 gold and 2 bronze). Kravets set her world record at the World Championships in Gothenburg in 1995. In the third attempt of the final, she landed at 15.50 meters with a tailwind of 0.9 m/s. A year later, Inessa became the first woman to win Olympic gold in the triple jump.

Partly ours can be considered Yuri Sedykh. A native of the city of Novocherkassk, Rostov region, he is a graduate of the Kyiv hammer throwing school. In 1986, at the European Championships, he sent the projectile to 86.74 m, and since then no one has surpassed the achievement of the two-time world champion.

BONUS RECORD

Here we just want to tell a beautiful story associated with the name Bob Beamon. His record in the long jump ceased to be relevant in 1991. However, at the Olympic Games in Mexico City in 1968, he shocked the whole world. The American took a run and landed at 8.90 meters (Mike Powell's current highest achievement is only 5 cm further). He broke the previous world record by as much as 55 cm. Lynn Davis, who was defending his Olympic title, approached Beamon and said: “You have destroyed this discipline.”

Bob Beamon at the Mexico City Olympics

When the stadium announcer announced the numbers, the culprit himself fell to his knees, covered his face with his hands and could not get up without help. It is interesting that the automatic range meters that existed at that time were not designed for such a result, and the distance had to be measured manually. After that event, a new adjective beamonesque appeared in the English language, which means some unthinkable feat.

Scientists have found explanations for Beamon's record. Firstly, the competition took place at a significant altitude above sea level, which, due to the characteristics of the air, contributed to long jumps. After that, elite level tournaments were not held at such a high level. Secondly, Bob was helped by a strong tailwind, and its strength was the maximum permissible - about 2 m/s. Well, after the American’s jump there was a heavy downpour, which created not the most favorable conditions for the rest of the participants. However, all these factors do not make Binom’s record any less legendary.

In recent years, breaking world records has become commonplace. For example, in 2016 this was done five times. Often the highest achievements are celebrated at major tournaments. At the Olympic Games of different years, nine current world records were set, and at the World Championships - eight. Therefore, at the upcoming World Cup in London, we may well see the WR mark next to some result. Moreover, 13 world record holders will perform in London.

Current record holders who will compete at the 2017 World Championships:

Usain Bolt, Jamaica (100 m – 9.58 s, 200 m – 19.19 s),
Weide van Niekerk, South Africa (400 m – 43.03),
Aris Merritt, USA (110 m/b – 12.80),
Yoann Dini, France (50 km walk – 3:32.33),
Kendra Harrison, USA (100m s/b – 12.20 s),
Genzebe Dibaba, Ethiopia (1500m - 3:50.07),
Tirunesh Dibaba, Ethiopia (5000 m – 14:11.15),
Almaz Ayana, Ethiopia (10,000 m – 29:17.45),
Ruth Jebet, Bahrain (3000m steeplechase – 8:52.78),
Liu Hong, China (20 km walk – 1:24.38),
Ines Henriques, Portugal (50 km walk – 4:08.26),
Anita Wlodarczyk, Poland (hammer throw – 82.98 m),
Barbora Spotakova, Czech Republic (javelin throw - 72.28 m).

All photos in the material are taken from GETTY IMAGES

As a rule, each Games brings records. If the world record can be surpassed in a very short time and at any major competition, then the Olympic record can only be improved at the Games. Thus, the record recorded during the Olympic competitions, if not improved at the same Games, will remain unbroken for at least four years.

At the Games, records are recorded only in those sports in which there are objective methods of sports judging, i.e. where the result can be determined by a measuring device: in track cycling competitions (round and pursuit), in athletics, swimming, speed skating, shooting (bullet, skeet, archery), weightlifting. In total, 128 highest achievements of the Games are recorded in the table of Olympic records.

The improvement of records has been especially intensive since the XVI Games of 1956. Then 77 new Olympic records were set in Melbourne, 18 of which surpassed world ones. The next Games - in Rome - brought 74 Olympic records and 27 world records. 77 Olympic and 35 world records were set in Tokyo. The Olympics in Mexico City in 1968 brought 74 Olympic and 29 world records. Even greater success was achieved by the participants of the XX Games in Munich: 94 Olympic records were set here, 46 of which were higher than world records. At the competitions in Montreal, judges recorded 82 Olympic records, of which 34 were world records.

The Moscow Olympics brought 61 Olympic and 36 world records. The figures were noticeably lower at the XXIII Games in Los Angeles, where 36 Olympic and 11 world records were set. At the Games in Seoul, Olympic records were improved 104 times and in 30 cases were recorded as world achievements.

At the 1976 Winter Olympics, eight world records were set in speed skating events across nine distances. During the XIII White Olympiad, the outstanding American runner Eric Heiden set new records at all five (!) distances competed.

During their participation in the Games (since 1952), USSR athletes improved Olympic records 201 times. Today our country's athletes hold 25 Olympic records. Envoys from Leningrad improved Olympic records 33 times.

The oldest Olympic record is the phenomenal achievement of the American long jumper Robert Beamon, who jumped 8 meters 90 centimeters in 1968 in Mexico City. The magnificent achievement of Vladimir Salnikov, who swam 1500 meters at the Moscow Olympics in 14 minutes 58.27 seconds, remains unbeaten.

In the Olympic Games competitions in cycling (in track racing - rounds and pursuit), athletics, swimming, speed skating, shooting and weightlifting, the highest achievements of athletes are recorded as Olympic records.

Currently, athletes of the Soviet Union hold 26 Olympic records.