What WR is the most mind boggling?

All those records are excellent, but they're still breakable.

Here's 6 that aren't breakable:

Women's 400, 800, 3k, shot put, discus, heptathlon.

There's a reason they've lasted so long. I'll give you one guess why that is.

If Athing Mu stays healthy the 800 record will be hers in 4 years. She's still very young and Kratochvilova ran her PB in her early thirties (although...). The heptathlon record seems a little vulnerable. Thiam or a healthy KJT might get it, if not one of those two then Anna Hall may come close, she is very talented in multiple events. The others are completely out of reach for this generation of professional athletes.

Gidey's half and Komen's 3K are the most mind boggling to me. Every year there's an attempt at Komen's 3K, and no one ever comes close. To keep that pace for 2K is tough for most elite 5K runners, but for another kilometre? That's gotta hurt. Gidey's half is a close second, she took off a minute and a bit off the WR. I'm really excited for her marathon debut in December. I think a 2:15 is possible.
Take off Radcliffe's marathon for Rudisha's 800 or Wayde van Niekerk's 400 record. His splits for that were something like 10.7, 9.8, 10.5 and 12 seconds.

If you think that Thiam or KJT can break the heptathlon world record, then that just shows that you don't understand exactly how completely rediculous the 7291 record is. Thiam and KJT probably won't even get to 7100.

Mu will probably end up the fastest non-drugged, non-biological male of all time, but even she isn't breaking 1:53.28 . The only way that record goes down is if World Athletics ever has the guts to void all pre-1989 world records.

Mind boggling would be...

HSer Frank Lombardi false started a 100, the penalty is he is moved back a yard. He would end up running a 9.6 to tie the WR. California State Championship in the 20's. Lombardi was never heard from again.

101 yards HS kid world record 9.6.

See handle

If you include "past" records, Beamon's 8.90.

It was 55cm better than the previous record, and it is still #2 all time mark after 54 years.

^This. The most classic of all T&F records in history. I remember the Swedish commentator:

"Now they are rolling out the measuring tape to complement the optical measuring. That means that it is a world record. Can it be 8.50, or is that hoping for too much? (pause) 8.90...8.90...8.90, I think I´m going to faint".

I saw Franklin Jacobs break the world indoor High Jump record. He still has the world record for the most height differential. Shorty could jump 59 centimeters over his own height.

Frank

Franklin Jacobs was going to medal in 1980 if Jimmy Carter had just stuck to his peanut farm

They should adopt this for the sprints now, false start you move, maybe proportional to how much you register or something. Seems fairer than having someone DQ for an imperceptible mistake.

Planking for 9 hrs

If you include field events, one that's often overlooked is the mens high jump record of 2:45m set way back in 1993 set by Javier Sotomayor. Nobody has even come close since!

Rudolf Harbig 1:46.6 in 1939 took almost 2 seconds off the existing WR. The mile WR at the time was still only 4:06. Given the shoes and tracks etc back then, it would easily be sub 1:45 today. Harbig is likely the only pre-war runner who for sure would be world class if put straight on a modern track in super shoes today.

Seb Coe in 1981 obviously.

I'm not going to state the obvious because we all know Bekele is the world's greatest runner. If you look outside of Africa, the GOAT is Gunder Haag.

First sub 14 5,000m and he was the one who made the biggest contribution to bringing the WR for the mile down to 4 minutes. Firstly he didn't have an exhibition event like Ineos and breaking 2 that was staged to help him go sub 4. If Gunder Haag was in Bannister's race he would of gotten to sub 4 2 seconds beforehand.

en.wikipedia.org

Gunder_H%C3%A4gg

Open link

W 3000, Wang Junxia

Everybody always calls Komen's record crazy, but Wang's 8:06 is actually closer to it than most other women's distance records are to their men's counterparts.

Im gonna go with this one too. 8:06 is an absolutely nuts time for a woman to run. (Yes, I know she was doping her ass off. 8:06 is still insane.)

For me its the world record in marathon. Its mind boggling how the speed is so close to the world class times of the half marathon, 15km, 10km etc. If I am not wrong it equates to a 67s 400 which would be a struggle for most, even with some training.