10 World Records Every Athlete Should Attempt

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Image via WordPress

No. 1 – Longest Tennis Match

Record holder: John Isner, Nicolas Mahut
Date set:
June 22-24, 2010
Details:
11 hours, 5 minutes over the span of three days

It wasn’t supposed to be this way. Heading into the 2010 Wimbledon Championships, 23rd seed John Isner had automatically locked down his spot. His opponent, French’s Nicolas Mahut, won a qualifying –pre-tournament to earn his spot. The first round match-up looked like an easy win for Isner on paper, but it turned out to be anything but. After four closely contested sets, Isner and Mahut went the distance in the fifth, spanning three days of play. When it was all said and done, Isner advanced 6-4, 3-6, 6-7 (7-9), 7-6 (7-3), 70-68.

Image via CNN
Image via CNN

No. 2 – Fastest Mile

Record holder: Hicham El Guerrou
Date set:
July 7, 1999
Details:
3 minutes, 43.13 seconds

You can probably run a mile pretty fast, right? Well, it’s time to brush up on your skills, because in 1999, Morocco’s Hicham El Guerrou completed the 5,280 foot stretch in less than 3 minutes and 43.13 seconds. Known as “King of Middle Distance” or the “King of the Mile,” El Guerrou also holds the world records for fastest 1500 meters and outdoor 2000 meters.

Image via Wikipedia
Image via Wikipedia

No. 3 – Fastest 100 M

Record holder: Usain Bolt
Date set:
August 16, 2009
Details:
9.58 seconds

Fastest man in the world? That’s debatable, but one thing’s for sure: Usain Bolt is the undisputed short distance champ. The Jamaican “Lightning Bolt” holds the records for fastest 100 m, 150 m, 200 m, 300 m, and 400 m times, but we’ll only challenge you to one of them. On August 16, 2009, Bolt broke the 100 m record for the second year in a row with a time of 9.58 seconds. All we can say is good luck.

Image via IAAF
Image via IAAF

No. 4 – Fastest Marathon

Record holder: Wilson Kipsang
Date set:
September 29, 2013
Details:
2 hours, 3 minutes, 23 seconds

If Usain Bolt is the short distance king, and Hicham El Guerrou owns the middle distance, then Wilson Kipsang is the long distance legend. Last year, Kipsang won the Berlin Marathon in a world record time of 2:03:23, breaking Patrick Makau’s previous record by 15 seconds. He followed up the world record with a London Marathon record in 2014, and it doesn’t look like he’ll be slowing down anytime soon.

Image via Sudoest
Image via Sudoest

No. 5 – Highest Pole Vault (Indoors)

Record holder: Renaud Lavillenie
Date set:
February 15, 2014
Details:
6.16 meters

For 21 years, Ukraine’s Sergey Bubka held both the indoor and outdoor the world pole vault records at 6.15 m and 6.14 m, respectively. But earlier this year, in the annual Pole Vault Stars meeting, Renaud Lavillenie of France took the indoor record with a height of 6.16 meters. He also holds the national record for outdoor pole vault, and could break Bubka’s record at any moment.

Image via Bleeping Idiots
Image via Bleeping Idiots

No. 6 – Lowest Golf Score

Record holder: Rhein Gibson
Date set:
May 12, 2012
Details:
55 (-16)

The world record holder for lowest golf score on an 18-hole course isn’t a household name by any means. On May 12, 2012, Australia’s Rhein Gibson set the mark in a mini-tour at the River Oaks Golf Club in Edmond, Oklahoma, finishing with a final score of 55. Gibson’s score included two eagles and 12 birdies, and he shot par for the remaining holes. If you’re coming for his crown, you’d better go work on your short game.

Image via Standing O Sports
Image via Standing O Sports

No. 7 – Longest Basketball Shot Made

Record holder: Thunder Law
Date set:
Nobember 11, 2013
Details:
109 feet, 9 inches

We all want to “be like Mike,” but face it, no matter how much you practice, you’re probably not gonna pull off that dunk from the free throw line. Instead, a more realistic goal would be breaking the longest shot record, set by Thunder Law of the Harlem Globetrotters in 2013. To pull off the record-setting shot, three players shot over the course of an hour in Phoenix’s US Airways Arena, until finally 24-year-old Law hit the shot of his life.

Image via NRK.no
Image via NRK.no

No. 8 – Longest Soccer Header Made

Record holder: Jone Samuelsen
Date set:
September 25, 2011
Details:
58.13 meters (190 feet, 8.58 inches)

Test your footie skills by taking on Jone Samuelsen’s longest header record. On September 25, 2011, Samuelsen thrust his way into history as he scored a 58.13 meter header for ODD Grenland against Tromsø IL. He returned a clearance from his own half, setting a mark that will take some serious aim (and maybe al little bit of luck) to surpass.

Image via LA Times
Image via LA Times

No. 9 – Fastest Baseball Pitch

Record holder: Nolan Ryan
Date set:
August 20, 1974
Details:
100.9 mph

There have been some outstanding pro pitchers over the last 40 years. Roger Clemens, Pedro Martinez, Randy Johnson, and Greg Maddux are just a few names that come to mind. However, none of these legends could top the speed of the prolific Nolan Ryan. In 1974, The Ryan Express set the world record for fastest pitch at a blazing 100.9 miles per hour. Whoever breaks this record is guaranteed some serious attention, so go start practicing that fastball.

Image via Field Goal Kicker
Image via Field Goal Kicker

No. 10 – Longest Field Goal Made

Record holder: Ching Do Kim
Date set:
November 23, 1944
Details:
78 yards

Believe it or not, the longest field goal wasn’t scored in the NFL. It went down in 1944 at Honolulu Stadium, where Ching Do Kim nailed a 78-yard prayer through the uprights. To make the feat even more impressive, Kim was barefoot during the play. All we can say is that we definitely don’t recommend attempting this one without the proper footwear!

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