Athletics
Paris 2024 Athletics: New World and Olympic records
From pole vault to decathlon, 15 Olympic and world records were set by athletes in athletics at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Arshad Nadeem sets a new Olympic record of 92.97m while clinching gold in the men's javelin throw at the Paris Olympics 2024. (Photo credit: World Athletics)
As the Paris Olympics ended, many new Olympic and world records were set.
Athletes from different countries broke 15 records in athletics, including in pole vaulting, decathlon, sprints, and marathon.
Let's check out these 15 new records and the numbers behind them.
1. Armand Duplantis
Sweden’s Armand Duplantis made history again by setting a new world record in the men’s pole vault with a height of 6.25 meters (20 feet, 6 inches).
This is his ninth world record in four years. Earlier this year, he set a record with a 6.24-meter vault in Xiamen, China.
He also set a new Olympic record, surpassing the previous mark of 6.03 meters set by Brazil’s Thiago Braz at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
2. Men’s 4x400m Relay
Team USA, featuring Christopher Bailey, Vernon Norwood, Bryce Deadmon, and Rai Benjamin, set a new world record with a time of 2:54.43.
surpassed the previous record of 2:55.39 set by the U.S. team of LaShawn Merritt, Angelo Taylor, David Neville, and Jeremy Wariner at the Beijing 2008 Olympics.
3. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone
In the women’s 400m hurdles, Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone of the USA set a new world record with a time of 50.37 seconds, surpassing her previous record of 50.65 seconds.
She became the first track athlete to set four world records in the same event within 13 months and also broke her own Olympic record of 51.46 seconds from Tokyo 2020.
4. Arshad Nadeem
Arshad Nadeem made history as the first Pakistani athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in an individual sport.
He won the men’s javelin throw title with a new Olympic record of 92.97 meters, surpassing the previous record of 90.57 meters set by Norway’s Andreas Thorkildsen at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Neeraj Chopra finished second with a throw of 89.45 meters.
5. Cole Hocker
American middle and long-distance runner Cole Hocker set a new Olympic record in the 1,500 meters with a gold-winning time of 3:27.65.
This performance also set a North American area record and was nearly 3 seconds faster than his previous personal best.
He surpassed Jakob Ingebrigtsen’s Olympic record of 3:28.32 from the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
6. Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei
Joshua Kiprui Cheptegei of Uganda won the gold medal in the 10,000 meters with a new Olympic record of 26:43.14.
This record broke the previous Olympic record of 27:01.17 set by Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia at the 2008 Beijing Games.
7. Tamirat Tola Abera
Ethiopian Marathon runner Tamirat Tola set a new Olympic record at the Paris 2024 with a timing of 2:06:26.
He broke Kenya's Samuel Wanjiru’s Olympic record of 2:06:32, set during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
8. Roje Stona
Jamaican discus thrower Roje Stona set a new Olympic record with a throw of 70.00 meters, winning the gold medal.
He became the first Jamaican to win an Olympic title in a throwing event, surpassing the previous record of 69.89 meters held by Virgilijus Alekna at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
.9. Marileidy Paulino
Marileidy Paulino became only the third person to win an Olympic gold medal for the Dominican Republic.
She also set a new Olympic record in the women’s 400 meters with a time of 48.17 seconds, breaking the 28-year-old record of 48.25 seconds set by Marie-José Pérec of France at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
10. Faith Kipyegon
Faith Kipyegon, a multiple record holder in middle and long-distance running from Kenya, set a new Olympic record at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
Kipyegon, who currently holds the world records for both the 1,500 meters and the mile, is the only athlete to have won three Olympic gold medals in the 1,500 meters, achieving this feat at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics, the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, and the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Her winning time of 3:31.29 at Paris 2024 set a new Olympic record, surpassing her previous record of 3:53.11 from Tokyo 2020.
11. Sifan Hassan
Sifan Hassan didn't just break the Olympic record; she made history.
At the Paris 2024 Olympics, she won bronze in both the women’s 5,000 meters and 10,000 meters and secured gold in the marathon with a winning time of 2:22:55.
This achievement made Hassan the first woman ever to win Olympic gold medals in the 5,000 meters, 10,000 meters, and marathon.
The Dutch middle-distance runner surpassed the previous marathon Olympic record of 2:23:07 set by Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia at the London 2012 Olympics.
12. Winfred Yavi
Winfred Yavi secured the gold medal in the women’s 3,000-meter steeplechase with a winning margin of just 0.58 seconds.
The Bahraini runner also set a new Olympic record, surpassing the previous record of 8:58.81 held by Gulnara Galkina of Russia with her time of 8:52.76.
13. Lindon Victor
.In the men’s decathlon, which consists of 10 events, Lindon Victor of Grenada set a new Olympic record in the discus throw with a distance of 53.91 meters.
He clinched the bronze medal in the decathlon overall.
14. Niklaus Kaul
Niklaus Kaul set a new Olympic javelin record in the decathlon at Paris 2024. The German athlete threw a distance of 77.78 meters, establishing a new record.
15. Mixed 4x400m Relay
The mixed quartet of Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, Bryce Deadmon, and Kaylyn Brown from the USA set a new world record in the heats with a time of 3:07.41.
However, they only managed to win the silver medal, as they were surpassed by the Netherlands for the gold.
