Most sporting records are meant to be broken. A team, or individual, sets a new standard, and it’s simply a milestone for others to pass.
In most disciplines, those records evolve, but some are so remarkable that they may stay in place for all time. In the history of sports, certain athletes have reached heights that are scarcely believable.
The challenge remains for others to emulate them, but in each of these instances, the standards are so high that current and future competitors may never hit the same levels again.
1. Wayne Gretzky: 1,963 NHL Assists
Some find it hard to explain just how great Wayne Gretzky was, but perhaps the fact that he held 61 NHL records when he retired underlines that point. 25 years on from his last game, he retains many of those milestones and some may never be beaten.
Gretzky’s record of 894 goals is challenging enough, but there are signs that it could be overtaken. His tally of 1,963 assists, however, is an incredible feat. Today’s players would need to return around 100 assists across 19 years, and those levels are simply ridiculous.
2. Tiger Woods: 683 Weeks at the Top of the Rankings
Those with a passing interest in golf will be aware that Tiger Woods was the dominant player in the early part of the 21st century. They may not, however, realize the extent of that dominance.
Woods spent a staggering 683 weeks as the number-one ranked golfer in the world. The spells ran between 1997 and 2014, and include an unbroken 281-week run between 2005 and 2010. Those are insane figures, representing around 13 years of Tiger’s life.
3. Wilt Chamberlain’s 100 Points
NBA fans witness many games where a team struggles to reach the 100-point barrier. When we consider that phenomenon, the fact that a single player once scored 100 points in a single fixture becomes scarcely believable.
Wilt Chamberlain was an incredible player, but this was a staggering milestone even by his high standards. Playing for the Philadelphia Warriors against the New York Knicks in 1962, Chamberlain registered exactly 100 points in a 169-147 win.
4. Aladar Gerevich: Six Straight Olympic Golds
There have been some incredible feats of endurance witnessed at the Olympic Games. Two athletes have competed in ten summer tournaments, and those are amazing achievements, but can anyone ever match the record held by Hungarian fencer Aladar Gerevich?
Competing in fencing events, Gerevich won six straight gold medals between 1932 and 1960. Had we not seen two Games canceled due to the Second World War, he may have even extended this exceptional run.
5. Michael Phelps’ Gold Medal Haul
Staying with the Olympics, swimmer Michael Phelps holds two records, both of which are unlikely to be matched. To put his achievements in context, we only have to look at the athletes behind him on the all-time list.
Phelps won his 23rd gold medal at Rio in 2016, and no other competitor has won more than ten golds. Overall, the American has 28 Olympic medals, ten more than his closest challenger, former Soviet Union gymnast Larisa Latynina.
6. Simone Biles World Championship Dominance
As with Michael Phelps at the Olympics, Simone Biles has set a standard at the World Gymnastics Championships that may never be matched. It’s rare for any gymnast to enjoy an extended career, so her 11 years in the sport is an impressive achievement in itself.
During that period, Biles won thirty medals in gymnastics’ elite competition and 23 of those have been gold. To give those numbers some context, the nearest challenger is Russia’s Svetlana Khorkina with nine golds and twenty medals overall.
7. Secretariat’s Kentucky Derby Best
Secretariat was a remarkable horse: The famous chestnut stallion broke several records during his career, and many are still standing, more than fifty years later.
1973 was Secretariat’s golden period. He became the first horse to win the Triple Crown in 55 years. He set a new fastest time for the Kentucky Derby which still stands, and he remains one of only two horses to complete this race in under two minutes. The mark of Secretariat’s dominance came at the Belmont Stakes when he sprinted home to win by a staggering 31 lengths.
8. Joe DiMaggio’s 56-Game Hitting Streak
Joe DiMaggio’s crossovers into popular culture risk masking his legacy as one of the greatest baseball players of all time. Those who know little about the sport will be aware of his marriage to Marilyn Monroe and his reference in the Simon and Garfunkel song “Mrs Robinson.”
On the field of play, DiMaggio was a nine-time World Series champion with incredible batting stats. Perhaps his biggest achievement was a 56-game hitting streak in 1941. That run puts “Joltin’ Joe” nine hits ahead of the chasing pack.
9. Rafael Nadal’s 14 French Open Wins
As with many of the records on this list, the scale of the achievement is underlined by the athlete in second place. Casual tennis fans will be aware that Spain’s Rafael Nadal likes the clay surface at the French Open, but do they know just how dominant he’s been?
When he announced his retirement in 2024, Nadal had claimed 14 French Open Men’s Singles titles. His nearest challenger is the early French player Max Decugis who won the last of his trophies back in 1914.
10. Jerry Rice’s Stunning NFL Records
Perhaps the last word here should go to former NFL wide receiver Jerry Rice. After playing for three franchises between 1985 and 2004, he won three Super Bowl championships, but when you consider the records he set, it’s a wonder his teams didn’t win more silverware.
Of all the incredible milestones on this list, Rice’s records are the ones that experts believe will never be broken. He finished his career with a staggering 22,895 receiving yards. He also received 197 touchdown passes and is 41 ahead of his closest challenger, Randy Moss.