All the Olympic records set in Athletics at Paris Olympics 2024, ft. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Cole Hocker, and more

By Animesh Pandey

Modified Aug 13, 2024 09:45 GMT

Records, they say, are meant to be broken, and the Paris Olympics 2024 have been no exception. From Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone and Armand Duplantis breaking their own previously-set records to the USA men's 4x400m relay team creating a new Olympic record, multiple records have been broken and set in track and field at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Some athletes like Joshua Cheptegei and Faith Kipyegon fulfilled the expectations of their fans with new Olympic records in men's 10000m and women's 1500m respectively. However, some like Cole Hocker and Arshad Nadeem came out of the blue, breaking Olympic records in men's 1500m and men's javelin throw, respectively.

Here we take a look at the new Olympic athletic records set at the Paris Olympic Games 2024:

All the Olympic records broken at Paris Olympics 2024 in athletics

#15) Sifan Hassan [Women's Marathon]

Sifan Hassan of the Netherlands after winning the women's Marathon at the Paris Olympics 2024 [Image Source: Getty]

Sifan Hassan more than compensated for her average performance in the 5000m and 10000m by winning the women's marathon, breaking the previous Olympic record set by Tiki Gelana of Ethiopia at the London Olympics 2012. She overcame the current world record holder Tigst Assefa (also from Ethiopia) in a tightly contested race, clocking 2 hours, 22 minutes & 55 seconds.

#14) Faith Kipyegon [Women's 1500m]

Faith Kipyegon at the Olympic Games Paris 2024 (Source: Getty)

Faith Kipyegon from Kenya is the world record holder as well as the Olympic record in the women's 1500m. She had recently broken the world record just a month before the Paris Olympics, at the Paris leg of the IAAF Diamond League.

Kipyegon completed an Olympic hat-trick by winning her third consecutive gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with a new Olympic record time of 3 minutes, 51.29 seconds. Along with this, she also won a silver medal in the women's 5000m.

#13) The USA [Men's 4x400m Relay]:

Team USA celebrates its victory in the men's 4x400m Relay at the Paris Olympics 2024 [Image Sources: Getty]

The USA proved their mettle in the men's 4x400m relay for the third consecutive Games, at the Paris Olympics. They qualified for the final with a timing of 2 minutes, 59.15 seconds.

In the final itself, Team USA overcame every challenge to break their 16-year-old record set at the Beijing Olympics 2008 to take the gold medal with a timing of 2 minutes, 54.43 seconds. Rai Benjamin, who also won Olympic gold in the men's 400m hurdles event at the Paris Olympics, helped the USA set this new record by running the anchor leg.

#12) Tamirat Tola [Men's Marathon]

Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia crosses the finish line at the men's Marathon at the Paris Olympics 2024 [Image Source: Getty]

For the first time in the history of the Summer Olympics, Olympic records were broken in both the categories of the marathon event.

Tamirat Tola of Ethiopia, who had won the 2023 New York Marathon, broke the Olympic record by clocking 2 hours, 6 minutes & 26 seconds. He broke the 16-year-old Olympic record set by Samuel Wanjiru of Kenya in this event.

#11) Marileidy Paulino [Women's 400m]

Marileidy Paulino of the Dominican Republic after establishing a new Olympic record in the women's 400m at the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

It has been almost four decades since the world record for women's 400m was established by Marita Koch of East Germany. She clocked 47.6 seconds in 1985, and since then, no one has come coming close to breaking it.

However, Marileidy Paulino did try, and she established a new Olympic record in that pursuit. Paulion, who won the silver medal in the women's 400m for the Dominican Republic at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, won the gold medal at the Paris Olympics with a new Olympic record of 48.17 seconds. With that, she became the fourth fastest woman of all time, behind Salwa Eid Naser of Bahrain, who came second in the final with a time of 48.53s.

#10) Arshad Nadeem [Men's Javelin Throw]

Bronze medalist Anderson Peters of Grenada [R] takes a selfie with Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem from Pakistan [C] and silver medalist Neeraj Chopra [L] of India at the Paris Olympics 2024 [Image Source: Getty]

Asian athletes, irrespective of region, are not well known for their prowess in Olympic track and field, and certainly not in the javelin throw. However, after Neeraj Chopra of India broke the traditional European and American dominance in this sport to become the first Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in javelin throw at the Tokyo Olympics 2020, his arch-rival and friend Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan went a step further.

Despite fouling in his first attempt, Nadeem threw the javelin a mind-boggling 92.97m in just his second attempt, finishing off the competition and breaking the 16-year-old Olympic record set by Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway. Chopra, the defending champion, threw 89.45m to get a silver medal, his second Olympic medal in a row.

#9) Roje Stona [Men's Discus Throw]

Roje Stona of Jamaica after breaking the Olympic record in the men's Discus Throw at the Paris Olympics 2024

Jamaica is not known historically for field event triumphs. But after Rajindra Campbell won a bronze in shot put at the Paris Olympics, Roje Stona took it a notch higher, with an Olympic record throw of 70m to win the gold medal, becoming the first Jamaican to achieve this distinction. He also saved Jamaica the potential embarrassment of returning from the Olympics without a gold medal for the first time since the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

#8) Winfred Yavi [Women's 3000m Steeplechase]

Winfred Yavi of Bahrain celebrates her victory in the women's 3000m Steeplechase [Image Source: Getty]

Winfred Yavi, the steeplechase athlete from Bahrain came into the Paris Olympics as the defending world champion. People expected a lot from her, and Yavi didn't disappoint.

The Kenyan-born steeplechase athlete clocked a record time of 8 minutes, 52.76 seconds, breaking the 16-year-old record set at the Beijing Olympics in 2008 by Gulnara Galkina of Russia. She is only the second Asian athlete to win an Olympic gold medal in this event after Ruth Jebet, who won the gold medal at the Rio Olympics in 2016.

#7) Lindon Victor [Men's decathlon - Discus Throw]

Lindon Victor after breaking the Olympic record for Discus Throw in Men's Decathlon at the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

Ever heard of a bronze medalist setting an Olympic record? Lindon Victor of Grenada achieved this rare honor at the Paris Olympics in the men's decathlon. Though he stood third in the men's decathlon overall, Victor achieved the Olympic record in the men's discus throw segment. He threw the discus a distance of 53.91m, a new Olympic Record Best that eclipsed the previous record set by Bryan Clay of the USA at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

#6) Niklas Kaul [Men's Decathlon - Javelin Throw]

Niklaus Kaul of Germany in action during the men's Decathlon at the Paris Olympics 2024 [Image Source: Getty]

Like Lindon Victor, Niklas Kaul also achieved the rare distinction of breaking an Olympic record without winning the gold medal. In the javelin throw segment of the men's decathlon at the Paris Olympics, Kaul threw the javelin a distance of 77.78m, much farther than what Leonel Suarez of Cuba threw at the London Olympics in 2012. The world best in this category is from Peter Blank of Germany, who threw 79.80m in 1992.

Kaul achieved a new Olympic Record Best with his attempt in the javelin throw. However, these efforts were not enough for a medal, as he finished eighth overall.

#5) Joshua Cheptegei [Men's 10,000m]

Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda after winning the gold medal in Men's 10000m at the Paris Olympics

Joshua Cheptegei of Uganda is the current world record holder in both the men's 5,000m and 10,000m. He broke the long-standing record set by Kenenisa Bekele of Ethiopia by clocking 26 minutes, 43.14 seconds to win the men's 10000m event at the Paris Olympics. Bekele had clocked 27 minutes, 1.17 seconds to win the Olympic gold medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

#4) Team USA [Mixed 4x400m Relay]

Kaylyn Brown of USA running towards the world record in the Mixed 4x400m Relay at the Paris Olympics [Image Source : Getty]

Team USA improved their world record in the mixed 4x400m Relay at the Paris Olympics in the heats. The USA, represented by Bryce Deadmon, Vernon Norwood, Shamier Little, and Kaylyn Brown, clocked 3 minutes, 7.41 seconds to top the heats overall,

However, in the final, the USA was edged out by the Netherlands, who almost broke the record by clocking 3 minutes, 7.43 seconds. Femke Bol overcame the challenge from Kaylyn Brown in the anchor leg to win the gold medal for the Netherlands.

#3) Armand Duplantis [Men's Pole Vault]

Armand Duplantis of Sweden celebrates after winning the Men's Pole Vault at the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

The American-born Swedish pole vaulter missed the Olympic record by a whisker at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. However, by jumping to 6.25m at the Stade de France, Armand Duplantis not only created a new world record but also did so for a ninth time. This was his first Olympic record and a second consecutive Olympic gold medal.

#2) Cole Hocker [Men's 1500m]

Cole Hocker after establishing a new Olympic record in the men's 1500m at the Paris Olympics [Image Source: Getty]

Jakob Ingebrigtsen, the defending Olympic champion from Norway, had set a new Olympic record in men's 1500m at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. In his semifinal heat at the Paris Olympics, the Norwegian athlete overcame every challenge with ease, defeating the likes of Josh Kerr and Cole Hocker to qualify for the finals in style.

However, Hocker saved his best for last, winning the gold medal with a new Olympic record of 3 minutes, 27.65s. Ingebrigtsen failed to even secure a bronze medal in this event. However, he did win the Olympic gold medal in the men's 5000m.

#1) Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone [Women's 400m hurdles]

Bronze medalist from the Netherlands Femke Bol [R] posing for a selfie with silver medalist Anna Cockrell [L] and Olympic champion Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone [C] of the USA at the Paris Olympics 2024[Image Source: Getty]

This American hurdler had already declared her intentions well before the Paris Olympics. She had improved her world record at the US Olympics Trials, though Femke Bol of the Netherlands was equally determined to win the event. However, in the final, it was Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone who turned out to be the queen of the 400m hurdles and was seen wearing a tiara after breaking another world record in the women's 400m hurdles.