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All the records are meant to be broken is a famous adage in the sporting world. It is true, but exceptions prove the rule. Here are 10 records that will last (maybe forever) and breaking them is almost impossible.
#10 35 world records by Sergei Bubka (Pole Vault)
Between 1981-2001, legendary pole vaulter Sergiy Bubka broke the world record in the event an astonishing 35 times. His overall record was broken last year by Frenchman Renaud Lavillenie of France (6.16 metres) but his record of shattering the world record 35 times still stands to this day. In recent times, Russia’s Yelena Isinbayeva (again, in the pole vault) has managed to break the world record in the women’s 17 times, and an additional 13 times indoors, making for a cumulative 30 world records set by her.
#9 24-1 victory by the Indian men\'s team (Hockey)
In the 1932 Olympic Games at Los Angeles, India’s men’s hockey team crushed the host nation 24-1, a world record at the time. This record is a testament to the might of India’s hockey team of the times.
#8 555 consecutive wins for Jahangir Khan (Squash)
Jahangir Khan holds the record for most consecutive wins in a sport. He won 555 games in a row between 1981-1986. His record was broken by Ross Norman of New Zealand at Toulouse (France). 555 straight wins is no mean achievement and it looks like this record will remain unconquered.
#7 Longest match in history between John Isner and Nicolas Mahut at Wimbledon 2010 (Tennis)
Between 22nd and 24th June 2010, John Isner of the USA and Nicolas Mahut of France played a tennis match for the ages that lasted 11 hours and 5 minutes, spread out over three days. The scoreline in the fifth and final set read 70-68! For the record, it was Isner who won the battle 6-4, 3-6, 6-7(7), 7-6(3), 70-68 in a game that broke all sorts of records. and tested the limits of human endurance.
After the match, both players and the umpire were presented with a crystal bowl and champagne flutes by Tim Henman and Ann Haydon Jones on behalf of the All England Lawn Tennis Association, in recognition of their efforts. Frenchman Mahut went on to donate all the memorabilia from the match for towards a public display at the International Tennis Hall of Fame’s Museum at Newport, Rhode Island.
Both Isner and Mahut were jointly presented with the 2010 ESPY Award for "Best Record-Breaking Performance".
TIME magazine named this match one of the Top 10 Sports Moments of 2010.
The match that previously held the record for being the longest was now a distant second. This was the 6 hours and 33 minutes encounter between Arnaud Clement and Fabrice Santoro at the 2004 French Open with Santoro coming out trumps
#6 5 consecutive European Cup (now UEFA Champions League) titles by Real Madrid (Football)
Real Madrid lifted the prestigious European Cupfor 5 straight years between 1955-60. Some clubs came closeto it, but couldnt quite manage to emulate theLos Blancosachievement.These days the competition is very intense and no team in the modern Champions League era has managed to defend their crown by winning back-to-back titles.A C Milan was the last club to do so in 1990.
#5 Rod Laver\'s career Grand Slam, twice (Tennis)
During his career, Rod Laver lifted 11 Grand Slam trophies. However, more importantly, he achieved the Grand Slam (winning all four majors in a calendar year) twice in his career – in 1962 and 1969. Since his retirement, no player has managed to achieve this feat with Roger Federer (2006, 2007), Rafael Nadal (2010) and Novak Djokovic (2011) having come close, but not quite able to do it.
#4 14 gold medals for USA at the Olympics (Basketball)
Out of the 18 times that basketball has featured at the Olympics, team USA has won the gold in 14 of them. Their nearest rival to challenge the record is the erstwhile Soviet Union with 2 golds. This record is set to be stretched even further with the NBA and America playing host to some of the best basketball players in the world.
#3 15 consecutive Ranji Trophy titles by Mumbai (Cricket)
Mumbai holds the record for most Ranji titles (40). They are way ahead of their nearest rival Delhi, who are second on the list with 7 titles. But the record that Mumbai has is something special. Mumbai (Bombay then) won 15 straight titles between 1955-56 to 1972-73. They lost to Karnataka in the 1973-74 season and then went on to lift 3 straight titles again to make it 18 titles in 19 seasons.
#2 25 World Cups for Cuba (Baseball)
38 Baseball World Cups have taken place till date. The first World Cup took place in 1938. Cuba has lifted the trophy on record 25 occasions. Their nearest challenger for the all time record is USA with 4 gold.
#1 22 Olympic medals for Michael Phelps (Swimming)
Michael Phelps has won an incredible 22 Olympic medals in his decorated career making him the most successful athlete ever in the history of the Olympic games. Out of the 22, Phelps has 18 gold, which is double that of his nearest rivals ( 9 gold – held by Carl Lewis, Mark Spitz, Birgit Fischer and Larissa Latynina). For three Olympic games in a row (2004, 2008, 2012), Phelps was the best individual athlete; another record which is likely to stand the test of time. The Baltimore Bullet’s 7 out of 8 gold medals in Beijing in 2004 came in world record times to boot. Phelp’s achievements are simply mind boggling to the common man and one wonders if the sporting world will ever see another individual dominate at the Olympics like he has.
