Excellence in sports is mostly measured by the amount of medals and achievements that you have earned. Records are the benchmark of achievements as well as the goal for many athletes all over the world. While some have received more achievements than others, there are an exempt few that have astonishing sports records.
These world record holders have some of the most astounding achievements in sports and such feats may never be surpassed by anyone for a long time. Sports are already very physically and mentally taxing to all athletes, and when they break a certain record, their hard work for their craft makes it even more inspiring.
In this article, we list down all the astonishing sports records and look behind the stories of how they were able to achieve such a feat.
Steffi Graf's Longest Streak
When it comes to tennis, you might think of legendary players like Roger Federer or Serena Williams to break a world record.
No one might recognize her, but the world record holder for the longest streak in tennis belongs to a certain Steffi Graf.
Winning alone is already a tough achievement, but staying at the top for the longest time is surely a career-defining feat. She spent 377 weeks at the top, while Federer only remained at 302 weeks, with Williams having only 200 weeks and counting.
To this very day, no one has ever beaten her record, and it looks like it will remain that way for a few more decades.
Jesse Owens Breaks Four Records In Just An Hour
Possibly one of the most astounding achievements in history has been done by a certain Jesse Owens. In 1936, when tension was at an all-time high, Olympian Jesse Owens was already collecting gold medals.
What many people do not know is that he already broke a few records a year before he even went to the Olympics.
At a university track meet in Michigan, he broke three world records for the long jump, 220-yard sprint, and 220-yard hurdles and got a tie in the 100-yard dash within an hour.
Imagine breaking four records in just an hour. It came as no surprise why he got all those medals at the Olympics the following year.
Eliud Kipchoge Breaks Record for Marathon
Marathons are a display of self-discipline and human endurance. It is not a feat that everyone can simply do without proper training.
This is why Eliud Kipchoge is one of a kind. In 2014, Kipchoge broke the previous record of running a 42.195km race in 2 hours, 2 minutes, and 57 seconds with his own 2 hours, 1 minute, and 39 seconds.
Kipchoge is also known to have the record of running a marathon in under two hours with just 1 hour, 59 minutes, and 40 seconds but was not included as a world record due to certain conditions.
This only goes to show that a man with proper discipline and training can achieve anything that he is determined to do.
Jack Nicklaus Wins 18 Majors
When it comes to golf, many enthusiasts have always been debating about whether or not Tiger Woods was the ultimate player.
Certain people would debunk this with the best golf player ever, Jack Nicklaus. Not only was he one of the best in the world, but he is also a record holder for having won 18 Majors in total from Tiger Woods' 14 Majors.
While it has been years since Nicklaus has played, Woods is slowly inching to take the crown, but the age-old debate remains.
Nevertheless, the record speaks for itself, and Jack Nicklaus remains the legendary player.
Wilt Chamberlain's 100-Point Game
Basketball has always been a team game where you rely on your teammates to get the win. This means that you will only get at least a portion of the score that you get at the end of each game.
This was not the case with Wilt Chamberlain. Wilt Chamberlain achieved a feat that no other basketball player has ever reached, even to this very day.
He has a record-breaking 100 points in a single game. Even basketball legend Kobe Bryant could not achieve this record at only 81 points for a single game.
It was an effort on Bryant's behalf but up to this very day, no one has done it like Chamberlain.
The All-Time Olympian Michael Phelps
Many of the athletes on this list have achieved a lot of world records for their sport, but none has been more decorated than Michael Phelps.
He is one of the only few athletes who have a world record for getting gold medals at a single sporting event.
In the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phelps was able to achieve 8 gold medals. Five of the gold medals that he earned during this time were during individual events, which made it even more amazing.
He also set 7 more world records along the way with this feat.
The Unstoppable Usain Bolt
We all know Usain Bolt as the fastest man alive, but not all people know how he was able to capture such a feat during the height of his career.
What makes Bolt truly impressive is that not only was he able to achieve the record as the fastest human in history, but he was able to beat it again.
He was the only person to get the record for running the 100m dash at only 9.58 seconds in the Beijing 2008 Olympics. Little did we know, he would go on to match his own record at the London Olympics in 2012.
Many might think that this was it for Bolt, but in 2016 at the Rio Olympics, he once again matched his own record, making him one of the most historic Olympians in the world.
Conclusion
Many of these impressive record holders continue to remain undefeated up to this very day. These records have only shown how human beings can push through adversities and push the boundaries of what is possible in the realm of sports. These are the unbelievable athletic achievements that define what it truly means to be a champion.
