50. Most points in a single NHL game
This top sporting record goes to Hall of Famer Darryl Sittler, who managed to score a total of 10 points in a hockey match against the Boston Bruins way back in 1976.
49. Most successive no-hitters
For even the most illustrious of baseball pitchers, a no-hitter might be a once-in-a-lifetime event, but pitcher Johnny Vander Meer managed to throw a no-hitter not just once but twice successively. For context, there have only been 303 no-hitters in MLB history. This is widely (and grammatically awkwardly) considered one of the “most unbreakable sporting records.”
48. Most no-hitters
Baseballer Nolan Ryan holds the record for the most no-hitters, having thrown a total of seven during his 27-year career. There have only been a handful of players in MLB history who have managed two or more no-hitters, so to have landed seven is beyond remarkable.
47. Most successive games started by a goaltender
In a sport as physically demanding as the NHL, the fact that goaltender Glenn Hall managed to compete in a whopping 502 consecutive games is truly jaw-dropping. Since his retirement in 1971, none have come even close to his historic sporting record.
46. Quickest MMA knockout
Ryohei Masuda holds the sporting record for the fastest knockout in MMA, which he set back in 2008. At the first bell his opponent, Takahiro Kuroishi, charged straight at him with both his hands down, leading to Masuda landing a straight hard punch to his temple and ending the round in just under two seconds!
45. Most assists in the NBA
The sporting world record for the most assists in the NBA goes to former professional basketballer John Stockon, who over his career managed a staggering total of 15,806 assists.
44. Greatest distance on a motocross bike in 24 hours (individual)
This off-road motorcycle sport is often cited as among the most physically demanding sports; manoeuvring and staying on a machine as you push forward through rough natural terrain directly exposed to the harsh elements is not easy. When you try doing it at up to 200 km/h, it’s almost impossible. This makes the record set by motorcyclist Ali Abdo Ali all the more remarkable; he managed to cover 613.59 km on his bike in a single day.
43. Most goals in a calendar year
The most goals in a calendar year list for football really sorts the best from the rest. Legendary footballer Pele holds the record with an extraordinary 127 goals in 1959. For comparison, the most Messi has ever achieved in a calendar year is 91.
42. Best Tour de France winning streak*
Between 1999 and 2005, road cycling legend Lance Armstrong managed a total of seven consecutive wins at the event. However, following a doping scandal that generated international headlines, he was officially stripped of this achievement, hence the asterisk.
41. Most Stanley Cups for a single player
Canadian hockey player Henri Richard set a famous sporting record by winning a total of 11 Stanley Cups. The Pocket Rocket’s 20-year career was nothing short of amazing; he managed to win titles in more than half the seasons he played.
40. Largest esports event
Esports has rapidly grown in popularity over recent years, a fact that is clearly reflected in the size of the crowds at its events. Back in 2017, the IEM Katowice set the esports record for the highest attendance at an esports event, welcoming a total of 173,000 people to the venue.
39. Most red cards in a football match
Referee Damian Rubino set this unbelievable record when he brandished a total of 36 red cards in a match. All the players plus their substitutes and technical staff were sent off after a massive brawl erupted between the opposing teams.
38. 100 metre dash (men)
You won’t be surprised to learn who broke this sporting world record. Back in 2009 at an event in Berlin, legendary Jamaican sprinter Usain Bolt took just 9.58 seconds to reach the finish line.
37. Most wins by an NBA team in a season
This sporting record was set by the Chicago Bulls back in 1996, where they cleared the season with a total of 73 wins against 10 losses. With legends such as Michel Jordan on the team and lead by Coach Phil Jackson, it was hardly surprising that they were able to pull such an amazing feat.
36. Fastest hat trick in the NHL
Way back in 1952, hockey player Bill Mosienko scored three times in just 21 seconds! That’s a feat that would have been unthinkable had it not been achieved. This is one sporting record that will likely never be broken.
35. Most NBA Championships held by a single player
Everyone who regularly watches basketball knows just how difficult it is to win the NBA championship. That’s why it’s so impressive that legendary basketballer Bill Russell did so 11 times in a career that lasted just 13 seasons!
34. Most games won in a row in the EPL
Manchester City and Liverpool - two heavyweights in the English Premier League - now share this record, having both won 18 games in a row. The latter equalled the record in 2020, just weeks before the COVID-19 lockdown took effect in the UK. Unfortunately for Liverpool fans, their team’s hot-streak was ended 3-0 by the unfancied Watford just one win short of the outright record.
33. Highest individual score in cricket
In 2004, Brain Lara secured his place in the Guinness book of records by scoring a mammoth 400 not out in a test innings against England. Lara had previously held the record with his score of 375 not out in 1994, although Australian batsman Matthew Hayden surpassed that with 380 in 2003.
32. Longest tennis match
Think your one-hour tennis session is a good workout? Spare a thought for John Isner (USA) and Nicolas Mahut (France), who at Wimbledon back in 2010 set a historic sporting record by playing a match that lasted a staggering 11 hours and five minutes (over three days, mind you!). The fifth set went to 70-68, and the match itself was nearly four-and-a-half hours longer than the previous record. With recent changes to how the fifth set in tennis matches is played, this is surely one of those sports records that will never be broken.
31. Most football world cup goals
The 2014 match between Germany and Brazil wasn’t just historic because of the embarrassing defeat the former dished out to the latter, but also because it was the day Germany’s Miroslav Klose set a new sporting record for the most world cup goals – a total of 16 over his career. Imagine having that on your online betting slip.
30. Fastest marathon time
The marathon is among the oldest sports in the world, but the world record was broken as recently as 2018 by Eliud Kipchoge from Kenya. He managed to run 26.2 miles in precisely two hours, one minute, and 39 seconds. Kipchoge actually broke the two-hour barrier one year later at an event in Vienna, Austria, where he completed a marathon in 1:59:40. However, that time doesn’t count as a world record because the event didn’t follow standard rules regarding fluids and pacing.
29. Most consecutive PGA tour event wins
Sporting records books show that this record was set by Byron Nelson way back in 1945, when he remarkably won his 11th straight PGA tour event. Since then, no golfer has even come close to this figure. Tiger Woods managed a streak of seven event victories in a row, which is no mean feat in the modern era.
28. Highest attendance record for a sporting event
The Tour de France, which takes place in France (although occasionally crosses into other countries) every summer comfortably beats every other attendance record for sporting events, with an estimated 12 to 15 million spectators attending the event in person each year.
27. Most wickets in a cricket match
There have been more than 2,300 test matches played throughout cricket history. During that time, only two men - English off spinner Jim Laker (10/53) and Indian leg spinner Anil Kumble (10/74) - have managed to take all 10 wickets in an innings. Even more remarkably, in the second innings of the same match, Laker took 9/37, leaving him with the all-time best match figures of 19/90.
26. Most NASCAR wins
The sporting record for the most NASCAR wins was set by Richard Parry, who over the course of his illustrious racing career - which stretched from 1958 to 1992 - won an incredible total of 200 races!
25. Most world cup points (rugby)
The English rugby player Jonny Wilkinson holds the record for the most points scored in world cup matches (277). He also holds the record for the most drop goals (14) and penalties (58) scored in the tournament.
24. Heavyweight boxing streak record
One of the craziest sports records in boxing was set by Rocky Marciano, who ended his career in 1955 with a remarkable winning streak of 49-0 – the only heavyweight champion to ever do so in history. What’s even more amazing is that he won 43 of his matches via straight knockout!
23. Longest hitting streak in MLB
Way back in 1941, centre fielder Joe DiMaggio managed to maintain an unprecedented hitting streak for 56 straight games. Since he set this crazy sports record, no other player has even come close to this figure, with the second-best streak belonging to Pete Rose at 41.
22. Longest long jump
This is one of those records that leave you scratching your head and wondering how exactly the individual managed it. In 1993, long jumper Mike Powell set a new record by jumping a whopping 8.95 metres. Certainly, achievements such as these aren’t easy sports world records to break.
21. Most Grand Slams in tennis (singles)
Australian tennis player Margaret Court holds the record for the most Grand Slam singles won – a total of 24. However, Serena Williams is breathing down her neck and needs only one more Grand Slam victory to draw level. In the men’s game, Roger Federer leads the way with 20 Grand Slam singles victories.
20. Most Wimbledon titles
Let’s continue with the Fed Express as he breaks another sporting world record! Not only is Federer the most successful male player of all time, but he’s also dominated Wimbledon for decades. The Swiss maestro has won a record eight tournaments at Wimbledon, which is regarded as the spiritual home of tennis. However, that pales in comparison to his great rival Rafael Nadal’s grip on the French Open. The Spaniard has won the French Open a staggering 12 times and has only ever lost two singles matches at the tournament!
19. Fastest bowling speed (cricket)
This sporting record was set by Pakistani bowler Shoaib Akhtar back in 2002 in a match between Pakistan and New Zealand. Akhtar delivered a 161.3 km/h thunderbolt that remains one of the only balls ever to break the 100 mph barrier.
18. Heaviest deadlift
In 2020, powerlifter and Game of Thrones star Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson set the Guinness strength record by deadlifting a whopping 501 kg – that’s nearly three times his own bodyweight and roughly seven times that of an average Icelander.
17. Most consecutive world cup wins in cricket
It’s a moment of pride for a national team to take home the coveted world cup, which is why it was such a big deal when Australia won it three times successively: 1999, 2003, and 2007. Throughout the history of the competition, Australia has managed to win a total of five world cups – that’s three more than any other country.
16. Most centuries in first-class cricket
In a career that stretched from 1905 to 1932, English cricketer Jack Hobbs set not only a British sporting record, but indeed a world record that stands to this day. Hobbs made a total of 199 centuries across both test and first-class matches, accumulating a total of 61,760 runs along the way. If he’d lived in an era when international travel were easier, he’d surely have broken even more records.
15. Most AFL matches
Let’s take a trip Down Under! Few people thought Hawthorn legend Michael Tuck’s record for the most games of Australian rules football (AFL) would ever be broken. However, in 2016, North Melbourne veteran Brent Harvey surpassed Tuck’s career tally of 426 games to finish with 432 of his own. Harvey had his eyes set on the 450-game mark, but his club let him go that same year.
14. Most international runs
This sporting world record was set by legendary Indian batsman Sachin Tendulkar. In a career that spanned 24 years and 664 matches, Tendulkar managed a total of 34,357 international runs, topping the tables for both test matches and one-day internationals. He also holds the record for the most international centuries (100).
13. Fastest 100 km race walk
The fastest time to finish a 100 km race walk is three hours, 32 minutes, and 33 seconds. It was set by French Olympian Yohann Diniz back in 2014.
12. Most international wickets in cricket
There have only been two players in history who have managed to take more than 1,000 wickets in international cricket. Australian leg spinner Shane Warne sits in second place with 1,001 wickets, but Sri Lankan legend Muttiah Muralitharan is miles ahead with an incredible 1,347.
11. Most career home runs in baseball
With a total of 762 home runs, former professional baseballer Barry Bonds holds this sporting record. Apart from that, he also holds the record for home runs in a single season (73) and most career walks.
10. Best test batting average
No individual has dominated a team sport quite like Don Bradman did. The legendary Australian batsman scored 6,996 test runs at an average of 99.94. To put this in perspective, of the thousands of other batsmen to have played test cricket, the next best average belongs to current Australian #3 Marnus Labuschagne (63.43).
9. Most NFL career touchdowns
Considered one of the greatest players to ever grace the NFL, Jerry Rice broke many sporting records over his 19-year career. The most notable is probably the fact that he managed a remarkable total of 208 career touchdowns.
8. Most Grand Prix victories
This record was set by German F1 driver Michael Schumacher, who won a total of 91 races. His record is likely under threat from Lewis Hamilton from the UK; he has already won 84 races and looks to have many years of F1 ahead of him.
7. Most consecutive NFL losses (regular season)
In the 1976 and 1977 seasons, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers played so extraordinarily badly that they managed to lose an unprecedented 26 games in a row. People had such a terrible opinion of them that when they finally did win and broke their losing streak, the coach of the opposing team was fired.
6. Most career wins of any pitcher
To boast 250 career wins is an outstanding enough feat in professional baseball, but to have more than twice that is jaw-dropping. Hall of Famer Denton “Cy” Young holds this historic sporting record with a total of 511 wins. Since he retired way back in 1911, nobody has even come close to his remarkable feat.
5. Most New York marathon wins
This sporting record is held by Grete Waltz, with a total of nine wins. In her NY marathon career from 1978 to 1988, she only missed out on the gold twice.
4. Oldest professional athlete
At 110 years young, Stanislaw Kowalski currently holds all the oldest athletics world records - speaking figuratively, of course. The world’s oldest athlete competes in several Masters track and field events, including discus, shot put, and sprinting.
3. Fastest Iron Man triathlon
The Iron Man triathlon - which consists of a 3.86 km swim, a 180.25 km bicycle ride, and a marathon 42.20 km run - is widely considered among the most physically demanding one-day sports in the world. German triathlete Jon Frodeno set the record completing such an event in 2016, coming in at seven hours, 35 minutes, and 39 seconds.
2. Most consecutive games played in a professional sport
Try to imagine how many consecutive matches a professional athlete might manage: 300? 1,000? Not even close! Famous baseballer Cal “Iron Man” Ripken Jr. set the record by playing an astounding total of 2,632 consecutive games.
1. Most Olympic medals won
Retired swimmer Michal Phelps is by far the most decorated Olympian in history. In an Olympic career that spanned 16 years, he managed to win a total of 28 medals (23 gold, three silver, and two bronze). That’s more than many countries have won over their entire history.
Over to You
Which of the above sporting records did you find the most amazing? Which ones do you think are likely to be beaten within our lifetime? Share your thoughts and more in the comments below. Don’t forget to share the article with others who may also find it a worthwhile read.
