Records are meant to be broken, especially in sports where athletes have become more committed to training and have had the benefit of technological advancements. Athletes can record and watch footage of their performances to highlight potential areas of improvement, utilize performance-tracking technology such as sensors or “smart clothing,” and even use training management software to maximize their performance with insight into energy, diet, and sleep.
Yet, some athletes have been so dominant in their respective sports that it’s unlikely their accomplishments will ever be matched. The following are five athletes who hold records that may never be broken.
1. Byron Nelson (11 Consecutive Golf Tournament Victories)
Jack Nicklaus is the most accomplished golfer of all time regarding major championship victories. The Golden Bear won 18 titles from 1962 to 1986. Two other golfers, Tiger Woods and Walter Hagen, have won more than 10 major championships. Byron Nelson may not have the same level of name recognition as those three players, but he does hold a record that is unlikely to ever be replicated: 11 consecutive tournament victories.
Nelson, who claimed five major championships from 1937 to 1945, won more than half of the events in which he competed in 1945 (18 of 35). Incredibly, he won 11 of those tournaments in a row over five months. It’s worth noting, however, that many professional golfers, including Lloyd Mangrum and Jack Fleck, were absent from the tour that year as they were in WWII. While Nelson didn’t serve, he did help raise money for the war through his involvement in several exhibition matches.
Woods, with seven consecutive tournament victories, has come the closest to equaling Nelson’s record.
2. Lance Armstrong (7 Straight Tour de France Championships)
Lance Armstrong’s seven consecutive Tour de France championships were removed from the record books in 2012 after the United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) found him guilty of using performance-enhancing drugs. The American rider, who famously overcame testicular cancer and inspired cancer patients worldwide, won his record seventh title in 2005. However, the 2012 USADA report revealed that Armstrong and his team “had been involved in the most sophisticated and successful doping program in the history of cycling.”
Given the grueling nature of the competition, it’s unlikely that any cyclist will ever win seven straight Tour de France titles without performance-enhancing drugs. Tadej Pogačar (Slovenia) won the event in 2021 and 2020, while Miguel Induráin (Spain) won for five consecutive years from 1991 to 1995.
3. Roger Federer (No. 1-Ranked Tennis Player for 237 Consecutive Weeks)
Roger Federer is among the greatest athletes of all time. The 40-year-old tennis player has won 103 titles, including 20 grand slams, during his decorated career. He has also won more than $130 million in career prize money through singles and doubles competition. Yet, his most impressive record pertains to the length of time he was considered the world’s best male tennis player.
Federer was ranked atop the Association of Tennis Professionals standings for 237 consecutive weeks from 2004 to 2008. Jimmy Connors ranks second in this category at 160 consecutive weeks. Novak Djokovic is the all-time leader for most weeks spent at No. 1 at 363, but his longest consecutive reign was 122 weeks.
4. Just Fontaine (13 Goals in a Single World Cup)
French striker Just Fontaine had the most impressive showing in World Cup history at the 1958 World Cup when he scored 13 goals in only six games, beating Hungarian Sandor Kocsis’ record 11 goals in the 1954 World Cup. Gerd Muller of West Germany scored 10 goals in the 1970 World Cup, but no player has scored more than eight goals in a single tournament since.
Fontaine scored eight goals in four round-robin matches and added another in France’s 5-2 semi-finals loss to Brazil. He scored four goals in the team’s 6-3 victory over West Germany in the third-place match. Fontaine was selected by Pelé to the FIFA 100 as one of the “greatest living footballers” in 2004.
5. Michael Phelps (28 Olympic Medals in Swimming)
Michael Phelps is the most decorated Olympian of all time. He ranks first among all athletes with 28 medals, 23 of which are of the gold variety. The legendary American swimmer won 13 more medals than Soviet Union gymnast Nikolai Andrianov, who ranks second among men in total medals. Moreover, he won 16 more gold medals than Andrianov.
Phelps, who competed at four Summer Olympic Games from 2004 to 2016, finished first place in more than 80 percent of the events in which he participated. He had his most dominant showing at the 2008 Beijing Games, where he won a record eight gold medals in a single Olympics. Perhaps most impressively, Phelps has won more Olympic gold medals than 66 entire countries, including Argentina, India, and Croatia. He also holds 20 Guinness World Records.