8 unbreakable Olympic records: Bolt, Phelps, Kim and more

The 2024 Olympics in Paris starts from the 26th of July and athletes from all around the world will represent their countries to register their names in the history books. Many Olympic heavyweight nations like the USA and the Soviet Union will try to top the medal table with impressive performances. Several records have been broken so far and milestones have been set in past editions of the Olympics. But, some records are unlikely to get surpassed in the future years. In this article, we'll look at the eight records that are almost impossible to break for an athlete in the coming years.

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8 unbreakable Olympic records

Michael Phelps' 23 gold medals and 28 total medals

Michael Phelps won the 23rd gold medal of his Olympic career at the 2016 Rio Games. The American swimmer won a record eight golds at the 2008 Beijing Games. Phelps won over 80% of the events he participated in his Olympic career. He has a total of 28 medals. The previous record holder for the most career medals was former Soviet Union gymnast Larisa Latynina, who won 18 medals (9 gold) from 1956 to 1964. Phelps' record remains untouchable to date.

Usain Bolt's 100-meter dash in 9.63 seconds

Usain Bolt's three Olympic gold medals in the 100-meter dash are the most in history. His Olympic-record finish of 9.63 seconds at the 2012 London Games will likely never be outdone. Bolt outperformed himself, breaking his previous record time of 9.69 seconds that he set at the 2008 Beijing Games. The Jamaican sprinter also owns the world record in the 100-meter running, completing it in 9.58 seconds at the 2009 World Championships in Berlin. Bolt owns the top two times in Olympic history and the world record in the 100-meter dash, a record which is impossible to break. He also owns the Olympic and world records for the 200-meter dash, completing both in 19.19 seconds.

Ian Miller's 10 career Olympic appearances

Canadian Equestrian Ian Miller competed in 10 Olympic Games in 40 years (1972-2012) which is more than any other competitor in the Olympic history. Unfortunately, Miller never won a gold medal. Miller earned his only Olympic medal at the 2008 Beijing Games, winning silver in the team jumping event. Austrian sailor Hubert Raudaschl, Latvian shooter Afanasijs Kuzmins, and former Soviet Union shooter Nino Salukvadze are the closest, each appearing in eight Olympics. 

Kim Yun-mi, the youngest athlete to win gold

At the 1994 Winter Olympics, South Korean skater Kim Yun-mi won the gold medal in the women's 3,000-meter relay. She was just 13 years and 86 days old at that time. Yun-mi remains the youngest Olympic gold medalist in history to date. The IOC, or the governing International Olympic Committee, doesn't specify a minimum age limit for Olympic competitions. However, each International Sports Federation sets its age requirements. After Yun-mi's historic achievement, the International Skating Union raised its minimum qualifying age to 15.

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Nadia Comaneci's perfect 10.0 score

Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci is a five-time Olympic gold medalist. At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, the then-14-year-old made history, becoming the first gymnast to earn a perfect score of 10 at the Olympic Games. It was so rare at the time that the scoreboards displayed 1.00 because it wasn't programmed to accept the perfect 10.0 score. 

Aladar Gerevich's six straight gold medals

Hungarian fencer Aladar Gerevich is considered the greatest competitive fencer of all time. He made a record of winning gold medals in six consecutive games between 1932 to 1960. The record is still untouchable to date. Retired British rower Sir Steve Redgrave came very close to touching that when he won five straight Olympic gold medals from 1984 to 2000.

China's dominance in table tennis

Table tennis was included first in the Olympics at the 1988 Seoul Games. China has won a record 32 of the 37 available gold medals since then. South Korea has won three golds. Japan and Sweden have won one each. China's dominance in the table is unlikely to get touched or broken. They also won 20 silver and eight bronze medals.

Team USA's 239 medals at the 1904 Olympics

The United States made history at the 2016 Rio Olympics, becoming the first nation to win 1,000 gold medals since 1896. The U.S. leads with 1,183 gold medals (2,985 total including Winter Games). They have a record of winning 239 (78 gold, 82 silver, and 79 bronze) medals in a single Olympic edition which is almost impossible to break. They achieved that record at the 1904 St. Louis Olympics. The U.S. won nearly 85% of all available medals that summer.