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An 81-point game -

In one of the best performances in NBA history, Kobe Bryant scored 81 points against the Toronto Raptors in 2006.

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A half-ton lift -

English former professional strongman Eddie Hall managed to deadlift 500 kg (over half a ton), setting the world record. In the process, many blood vessels in his brain burst, blood came out from his eyes, ears, and nose, and he passed out.

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The fastest man ever -

The average human runs 100 meters in around 27 seconds. Olympic sprinter Usain Bolt has been smashing his records for years. He ran the 100-meter race in 9.58 seconds, setting a new world record.

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What a leap! -

Despite the passage of time and athletes becoming more efficient with their training and nutrition, Bob Beamon still holds the Olympic record for his 8.90 m leap in the long jump event in 1968. That’s the length of a school bus!

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Hanging on for dear life -

If you’re in for an adrenaline rush, watch the documentary ‘Free Solo’ (2018) to see Alex Honnold climb a more than 2,250 meters-tall- (7,500-ft-) mountain in four hours with no safety ropes.

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A perfect season -

In 1972, the Miami Dolphins football team had a perfect season, meaning they went 14–0 in the regular season and won all three postseason games, including Super Bowl VII against the Washington Redskins, to finish 17–0.

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An incredible accident -

Aron Ralston was canyoning alone through Bluejohn Canyon when a boulder crushed his right arm against the wall of a canyon. He had to amputate his arm with a small knife to save his own life. The story was adapted in the Oscar-nominated film '127 Hours' in 2010, starring James Franco as Ralston.

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Federer slammed it -

Roger Federer has broken more than one record in his tennis career, but appearing at 23 straight Grand Slam semifinal events is outrageous!

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The Iceman -

"Iceman" Wim Hof is a Dutch extreme athlete who has defied the limits of the human body. He ran a half-marathon barefoot in 2017. In 2007, he climbed  7,200 m (23,600 ft) on Mount Everest wearing only a pair of shorts. He ran a marathon in the Namib desert with no water, and a marathon in the Arctic Circle, too.

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A quadruple rotation -

Three-time world figure skating champion Elvis Stojko performed a four-revolution jump in competition at the 1988 World Championships. He was the first to ever land it.

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Iron lungs -

David Blaine is an illusionist, magician, extreme performer, and artist. If he’s done what he claims to have done, he starved himself in a Perspex box consuming only water for 44 days, and held his breath underwater for 17 minutes.

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A 377-week streak -

Steffi Graf holds the world record in men's or women’s singles tennis for being ranked as number one for the longest time: 377 weeks.

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140-mile swim -

Croatian long-distance swimmer Veljko Rogošić set off on a 225 km (140 mile) open water swim without flippers across the Adriatic Sea, starting in Grado, Croatia and finishing in Riccione in Italy. It took over 50 hours, and he arrived over 16 kg (35 lbs) lighter.

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The fastest skater -

Eric Heiden pulled off an astonishing performance at the Winter Olympic Games in 1980, taking home five individual gold medals and setting four Olympic records and one world record in the men's long track events.

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Facing the Eiger -

Swiss rock climber Ueli Steck climbed the North Face of the Eiger, which is nearly 1,800-meters-high (5,900 ft), in two hours and 22 minutes in November 2015.

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A perfect 10, seven times -

Romanian Olympic gymnast Nadia Comăneci scored a perfect 10 seven times at the Olympics in 1976.

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That's a long way down -

You can watch a video of Austrian skydiver Felix Baumgartner ascending 39 km (24 miles) into the stratosphere in a helium balloon. In his nine-minute descent, he broke the sound barrier, reaching a speed of 1,357 km/hr (803 mph). He also broke the record for the highest manned balloon flight of 37,640m (123,491 ft).

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Michael Phelps -

Phelps was awarded the most gold medals won at a single Olympic Games. Phelps won eight gold medals at the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games for swimming.

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Climbing straight up the tallest building -

French rock and urban climber Alain Robert climbed the 828-meter (2,716 ft) Burj Khalifa tower in Dubai in 2011, the tallest building in the world.

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Rewriting the books -

Ethiopian runner Haile Gebrselassie can be considered the most prolific long-distance runner of all time, setting records multiple times for 5,000 and 10,000 meters and then running a 26-mile marathon in just under two hours and four minutes. His marathon running time set a new president for the race.

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Most pull-ups -

Australian Ironman and surf life-saving champion Caine Eckstein did 7,620 chin-ups in 24 hours in 2016, recovering the record he had previously held.

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Safety net required -

Luke Aikins jumped from over 7,600 meters (25,000 ft) without a parachute and landed in a large net and survived. The net was 100 meters by 100 meters.

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37 push-ups a minute -

Welsh-born Aussie Carlton Williams did 2,220 push-ups in one hour in 2015. That’s an average of 37 push-ups per minute.

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Taking the stairs -

Christian Riedl achieved the greatest vertical height climbing stairs in 12 hours. He climbed over 13,145 m (43,128 ft). In 2014, he set the record by making 71 ascents, with each ascent consisting of 988 steps.

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Serious abs -

Australian Daniel Scali set the world record for holding the abdominal plank position for nine hours, 30 minutes, and one second in 2021.

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Never-ending push-ups -

The Guinness World Record for push-ups in a day is held by American Charles Servizi who did 46,001 pushups in 24 hours in 1993. That's 1,916 every hour!

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We're natural born record breakers -

Human beings have a knack for setting themselves the challenge of breaking records, of going where nobody has been before, and of pushing ourselves to the very limit of our physical and mental abilities. It's the human spirit, and it's not going anywhere any time soon!

Sources: (Stadium Talk)

See also: Athletes who have competed in both the Summer and Winter Olympics

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