25 World Records that can be broken in Tokyo Olympics

Setting a World Record at the Olympics Games is the biggest dream for any athlete. While some will try to best their own world records in Tokyo, others will try to etch their name into history by having the precious abbreviation 'WR' beside their names at the Tokyo Olympics.

Here we take a look at the 25 World Records that might end up being broken in Tokyo:

1. Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda in Men's 5000m/10000m Athletics

In August 2020, at the Monaco Diamond League meet, Joshua Cheptegei set a new 5000m World Record of 12:35.36. He ended up breaking Kenenisa Bekele's 16-year-old World Record. In October 2020, he broke Bekele's 15-year-old record in the 10,000m category with a World Record time of 26:11.00 at Valencia!

In Tokyo 2020, Joshua Cheptegei will run with the aim of breaking his own World Records and scripting new ones!

2. Eliud Kipchoge of Kenya in Men's Marathon

Arguably the 'greatest marathoner of the modern era', Eliud Kipchoge is the current World Record holder in men's marathon. He achieved the feat in September 2018 at the Berlin Marathon when he set a World Record time of 2:01:39.

Kipchoge won gold in the Rio 2016 Olympics and will be a major contender to break his own World Record in Tokyo.

3. Armand Duplantis of Sweden in Men's Pole Vault

The 21-year-old Armand Duplantis is the current owner of the men's Pole Vault World Record with a height of 6.18m set in 2020. Duplantis will be best positioned to break his own record at the Olympics this year.

4. Yang Jiayu of China in Women's 20 km Racewalk

In 2021, Yang Jiayu set a new World Record in Women's 20 km Racewalk with a time of 1:23:49 at the Chinese Race Walking Championships in Huangshan. Will she be able to break her own World Record at the Tokyo Olympics? One wouldn't bet against her.

5. Johannes Vetter of Germany in Men's Javelin Throw

In September 2020, Johannes Vetter came very close to breaking Jan Zelezny's World Record of 98.48m in Men's Javelin Throw. Vetter's effort saw him achieving a distance of 97.76m in Chorzow. The 28-year-old won gold at the 2017 World Championships and will be aiming for the World Record in Tokyo.

6. Adam Peaty of Great Britain in Men's 100m Breaststroke Swimming

In 2019, Britain's Adam Peaty scripted a new World Record in Men's 100m Breaststroke with a time of 56.88 in South Korea. He also won the gold in 100m Breaststroke at the Rio Olympics and also holds the World Record in Men's 50m Breaststroke. Adam Peaty has broken world records several times over his career and one wouldn't put it past him to script a new record in Tokyo!

7. Caeleb Dressel of United States in Men's 50m/100m Freestyle and 100m Butterfly Swimming

Caeleb Dressel holds the World Record in Men's 100m Butterfly and could end up breaking his own record in Tokyo 2020.

The 50m and 100m Freestyle World Records were set by Brazil's Cesar Cielo Filho in 2009. Dressel is third in the all-time top 25 in both the disciplines and will have his eyes firmly set on creating history at the Tokyo Olympics!

8. Katie Ledecky of United States in Women's 400m/800m/1500m Freestyle Swimming

24-year-old Katie Ledecky already holds the World Record in Women's 400m, 800m, and 1500m Freestyle Swimming disciplines with times of 03:56.46, 08:04.79, and 15:20.48 respectively. She'll be the favourite to break the World Records once again and Ledecky will hope to accomplish those feats at the Tokyo Olympics!

9. Sarah Sjostrom of Sweden in Women's 50m/100m Freestyle Swimming

Much like Katie Ledecky, Sarah Sjostrom already holds the World Records in Women's 50m and 100m Freestyle Swimming category with times of 23.67 and 51.71 respectively. However, she'd want to eclipse her own records in these disciplines at the grandest of stages in Tokyo!

10. Regan Smith of United States in Women's 100m/200m Backstroke Swimming

At the 18th FINA World Championships in 2019, Regan Smith scripted World Records in both the 100m and 200m Backstroke swimming discipline with times of 57.57 and 02:03.35. Will she able to break her own record at the upcoming Games? Only time will tell.

11. Shi Zhiyong of China in Men's 73kg (Snatch, Clean & Jerk and Total) Weightlifting

Shi Zhiyong has set 10 World Records in his career and currently holds the World Record in Men's 73 kg class in the snatch, clean & jerk and total. Shi Zhiyong broke the Snatch World Record at the Asian Championships held in April this year. The other two world records were set in 2019.

12. Kuo Hsing-Chun of Chinese Taipei in Women's 59kg (Snatch, Clean & Jerk and Total) Weightlifting

Kuo Hsing-Chun has also set 11 World Records in her career and holds the World Record in Women's 59 kg class in the snatch, clean & jerk, and total. The Snatch and Total World Records were set at the Asian Championships in 2021 and the Clean & Jerk World Record was set in the World Championships in September 2019. She has been in brilliant form lately and may have her eyes set on breaking her own records.

13. Li Wenwen of China in Women's +87Kg (Snatch, Clean & Jerk and Total) Weightlifting

On 25 April 2021, Li Wenwen set the World Records in Women's +87 kg class in Snatch, Clean & Jerk, and Total at the Asian Championships in Tashkent. She is in mesmerizing form and will be hopeful about reproducing her form at Asian Championships in the Tokyo Olympics.

14. Martin Sinkovic and Valent Sinkovic of Crotia in Men's Coxless Pair Rowing

Though the Men's Coxless Pair Rowing World Record is currently held by the Kiwi duo of Hamish Bond and Eric Murray who achieved this feat during the 2012 London Olympics, Martin Sinkovic and Valent Sinkovic are best positioned to break that World Record time of 6:08.50

15. Sanita Puspure of Ireland in Women's Single Sculls Rowing

Bulgaria's Rumyana Neykova currently holds the World Record in Women's Single Sculls Rowing which she set in the 2002 World Rowing Championship in Spain. Sanita Puspure is the reigning World Champion after she won gold at the 2018 World Rowing Championships and defended it at the 2019 World Rowing Championships. She will be inching to write her name beside the World Record!

16. Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast of New Zealand in Women's Coxless Pairs Rowing

The duo of Kerri Gowler and Grace Prendergast set the World Record in Women's Coxless Pairs during the 2017 World Rowing Cup in Poland. They would be looking to best their time of 6:49.08 at the Tokyo Olympics.

17. Jeffrey Hoogland, Harrie Lavreysen and Roy van den Berg of Netherlands in Men's Team Sprint Cycling

The current men's world record time of 41.225 s in Men's Team Spirit Cycling Event was set by Jeffrey Hoogland, Harrie Lavreysen and Roy van den Berg at the 2020 UCI Track World Championships. Can they reproduce similar form and break their own world record? We'll have to find out!

18. Filippo Ganna of Italy in Men's Individual Pursuit Cycling

On 28 February 2020, Filippo Ganna broke his own individual pursuit World Record at the UCI Track World Championships in Berlin. At Tokyo Olympics, Ganna will believe that lightning can strike thrice.

19. Chloe Dygert Owen of United States in Women's Individual Pursuit Cycling

Much like Filippo Ganna, American Chloé Dygert Owen smashed her own World Record at the UCI Track World Championships in Berlin. All eyes will be on her in Tokyo as she attempts to break her own record once again on the biggest of stages.

20. Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker of India in Mixed 10m Air Pistol (Qualification) Shooting

India's Saurabh Chaudhary and Manu Bhaker hold the current ISSF World Record in Mixed 10m Air Pistol (Qualification) after accomplishing this feat in 2019. Can they do the unthinkable and break their own World Record of 586 at the Tokyo Olympics? Only time will tell.

21. Ashley Carroll of United States in Women's Trap (Qualification) Shooting

In 2018, Ashley Carroll set the World Record in Women's Trap Shooting with a score of 48 in the Final. She will be aiming to break Satu Mäkelä-Nummela's Qualification World Record score of 123 at the Tokyo Olympics!

22. Jong-oh Jin of Korea in Men's 10m Air Pistol (Qualification) Shooting

On April 12, 2009 Jong-oh Jin set the Men's 10m Air Pistol (Qualification) World Record with a score of 594. He is the most successful individual shooter at the Olympics and will try to break his own World Record in Tokyo this time around.

23. Seonaid McIntosh of Great Britain in Women's 50m Rifle 3 Position (Qualification) Shooting

In 2019, Seonaid McIntosh became the first British female shooter to be ranked World Number 1 in the Women's 50m Rifle 3 Position Event. She also became the World Champion in the 50m Prone Rifle Event in 2018. Though the current World Record in this category is held by Jenny Stene, Seonaid McIntosh is a solid contender for that World Record.

24. Kim Woo Jin of Korea in Men's Recurve (Qualification) Archery

The archer from South Korea, Kim Woo Jin is the reigning Olympic Champion. The 28-year-old will be in contention to break the qualification record set by USA's Brady Ellison, who had shot 702/720 at the 2019 Pan American Games when he takes the field in Tokyo.

25. Kang Chae Young of Korea in Women's Recurve (Qualification) Archery

Yet another archer from South Korea, Kang Chae Young will be in contention to set a qualification World Record at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. But unlike Woo Jin, the 24-year-old will look to break her own world record of 692/720.