Unbreakable Olympic Records

The London Olympic Games begin today with the world’s best athletes competing in 306 events. Here are some records that are not likely to be broken this year. Or maybe ever.

100 Meter Sprint

In Beijing in 2008, Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt shattered both the Olympic and world record in the 100 meter and he did it while slowing down to watch himself break the record. The appropriately named Bolt finished the sprint in 9.69 seconds, breaking his own world record of 9.72 seconds which he set in 2008 before heading to Beijing. Seemingly the only person who can break Usain’s record is Usain himself. He most recently ran the 100 meter in Berlin in 2009 and set the world record even lower, doing it in 9.58 seconds. Bolt also is the Olympic and world record holder in the 200 meter and in the 400 meter relay with the rest of the Jamaican relay team. He won three gold medals in Beijing. Can he do it again in London?

Most Gold Medals

Team USA won a whopping 83 gold medals at the 1984 Olympic Games in Los Angeles; a record which has stood for 30 years. Even though the Soviet Union, East Germany, and Cuba boycotted the Olympics; that year there were still 140 countries participating in the Games, 60 more than competed in the 1980 Games in Moscow. In case you were wondering which nation has been to the most Olympic games and never won gold, that goes to the country of Monaco.

Youngest to Win Gold

Romanian Gymnast Nadia Comaneci became the first Olympian to score a perfect ten in an Olympic gymnastic event. She did it at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal in the uneven bar event. The spectators were quite confused when it happened because the scoreboard couldn’t handle three numbers so it originally registered as a 1.0. When they realized what happened, they gave her a standing ovation. It was a feat that was repeated by Mary Lou Retton in 1984. Nadia snagged six more perfect scores over the course of the games and went home with three golds, one silver and one bronze medal just in 1976 alone. Now that the International Olympic Committee has a rule in place that competitors must be at least 16 years of age, it is highly unlikely that the world will ever see someone so young win Olympic gold ever again.

Most Gold Medals in One Game

Michael Phelps went for the gold in the 2008 Beijing Games and took all of it home. In the process, he broke the record for most gold medals in one Olympics which had been held by swimmer Mark Spitz since 1972 when he won seven golds in Munich. Mark himself said of Michael, “Epic. It goes to show you that not only is this guy the greatest swimmer of all time and the greatest Olympian of all time, he’s maybe the greatest athlete of all time. He’s the greatest racer who ever walked the planet.” Michael also raked in six golds and two bronze medals in Athens in 2004. Though Michael did compete in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, he did not medal. Michael holds a total of 39 world records. Twenty nine of which are records he set himself. The other ten are records he holds with the rest of his team. Michael also holds the record for most Olympic gold medals at 14 and according to Sports Illustrated is three medals away from being the “most decorated” Olympian of all time.

We have a lot of local athletes competing at the Games. Keep track of who’s competing when by clicking HERE.