World and Olympic records set at the 2016 Summer Olympics facts for kids
The 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro was an amazing event where athletes from all over the world showed off their incredible skills! During these Games, athletes broke a lot of records. In total, there were 27 world records and 91 Olympic records set across different sports.
A world record means an athlete performed better than anyone else in history in that specific event. An Olympic record means they performed better than anyone else in that event at any past Olympic Games. It's a huge achievement to set either one!
Contents
Records Broken by Sport
Many different sports saw new records being set. Let's look at some of the highlights from the Rio 2016 Olympics.
Archery
In Archery, athletes aim for a target with a bow and arrow. Precision is key!
| Event | Round | Name | Nation | Points | Date | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Individual | Ranking round | Kim Woo-jin |  South Korea |
700 | 5 August | WR |
- South Korea's Kim Woo-jin set a new world record in the men's individual ranking round. He scored an incredible 700 points!
Athletics
Athletics includes running, jumping, and throwing events. It's often called the "track and field" events.
| Event | Round | Name | Nation | Time (distance) | Date | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 10,000 metres | Final | Almaz Ayana |  Ethiopia |
29:17.45 | 12 August | WR |
| Men's 400 metres | Final | Wayde van Niekerk |  South Africa |
43.03 | 14 August | WR |
| Women's hammer throw | Final | Anita Włodarczyk |  Poland |
82.29 m | 15 August | WR |
| Men's pole vault | Final | Thiago Braz da Silva |  Brazil |
6.03 m | 15 August | OR |
| 3000m Steeplechase | Final | Conseslus Kipruto |  Kenya |
8:03.28 | 16 August | OR |
| Men's shot put | Final | Ryan Crouser |  United States |
22.52 m | 18 August | OR |
| Men's decathlon | Final | Ashton Eaton | United States |
8893 pts | 18 August | OR |
| Women's 5,000 metres | Final | Vivian Cheruiyot | Kenya |
14:26.17 | 20 August | OR |
- Ethiopia's Almaz Ayana broke the world record in the women's 10,000 metres race.
- Wayde van Niekerk from South Africa set a new world record in the men's 400 metres.
- Poland's Anita Włodarczyk threw the hammer further than any woman ever, setting a world record.
- Home country hero Thiago Braz da Silva from Brazil set an Olympic record in the men's pole vault.
Canoeing
Canoeing events involve racing boats using paddles.
| Event | Round | Name | Nation | Time | Date | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Kayak Single 200m | Final | Lisa Carrington |  New Zealand |
39.864 | 15 August | OR |
| Men's Kayak Single 200m | Final | Yuriy Cheban |  Ukraine |
39.279 | 18 August | OR |
- Lisa Carrington from New Zealand and Yuriy Cheban from Ukraine both set new Olympic records in their kayak sprint events.
Cycling Track
Cycling track events are races held on a special indoor track called a velodrome.
| Event | Round | Name | Nation | Time | Date | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's Team Pursuit | Qualifying | Great Britain |  Great Britain |
4:13.260 | 11 August | OR, WR |
| Men's Team Sprint | Qualifying | Great Britain | Great Britain |
42.562 | 11 August | OR |
| Men's Team Sprint | First Round | New Zealand | New Zealand |
42.535 | 11 August | OR |
| Men's Team Sprint | Finals | Great Britain | Great Britain |
42.440 | 11 August | OR |
| Men's Sprint | Qualifying | Jason Kenny | Great Britain |
9.551 | 12 August | OR |
| Women's Team Sprint | Qualifying | China |  China |
32.305 | 12 August | OR |
| Women's Team Sprint | First Round | China | China |
31.928 | 12 August | OR, WR |
| Men's Team Pursuit | First Round | Great Britain | Great Britain |
3:50.570 | 12 August | OR, WR |
| Men's Team Pursuit | Finals | Great Britain | Great Britain |
3:50.265 | 12 August | OR, WR |
| Women's Team Pursuit | First Round | Great Britain | Great Britain |
4:12.152 | 13 August | OR, WR |
| Women's Team Pursuit | Finals | Great Britain | Great Britain |
4:10.236 | 13 August | OR, WR |
| Omnium Individual Pursuit | Finals | Lasse Norman Hansen |  Denmark |
4:14.982 | 13 August | OR |
- Great Britain's cycling teams were on fire! Both their men's and women's team pursuit teams set multiple world records and Olympic records.
- China's women's team sprint also broke a world record.
Modern Pentathlon
The Modern pentathlon is a tough event where athletes compete in five different sports: fencing, swimming, horse riding, shooting, and running.
| Event | Round | Name | Nation | Points | Date | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's modern pentathlon | Fencing (ranking round) | Aleksander Lesun |  Russia |
268 | 18 August | OR |
| Women's modern pentathlon | Swimming | Gulnaz Gubaydullina | Russia |
2:07:94 | 19 August | OR |
| Women's modern pentathlon | Combined Running/Shooting | Laura Asadauskaitė |  Lithuania |
12:01:01 | 19 August | OR |
| Men's modern pentathlon | Swimming | James Cooke | Great Britain |
1:55:60 | 20 August | OR |
- Several Olympic records were set in individual parts of the modern pentathlon, showing how strong these athletes are in many different areas.
Rowing
Rowing involves racing boats using oars.
| Event | Round | Name | Nation | Time | Date | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's Single Sculls | Final | Mahé Drysdale | New Zealand |
6:41.34 | 13 August | OR |
- New Zealand's Mahé Drysdale set an Olympic record in the men's single sculls final.
Shooting
Shooting events test an athlete's accuracy with firearms.
| Event | Round | Name | Nation | Score | Date | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 10 metre air rifle | Qualifying | Du Li | China |
420.7 | 6 August | OR |
| Women's 10 metre air rifle | Final | Virginia Thrasher | United States |
208.0 | 6 August | OR |
| Men's 10 metre air pistol | Final | Hoàng Xuân Vinh |  Vietnam |
202.5 | 6 August | OR |
| Women's 10 metre air pistol | Final | Zhang Mengxue | China |
199.4 | 7 August | OR |
| Men's 10 metre air rifle | Qualifying | Niccolò Campriani |  Italy |
630.2 | 8 August | OR |
| Men's skeet | Qualifying | Marcus Svensson Abdullah Al-Rashidi |
 Sweden Independent Olympic Athletes |
123 | 12 August | OR |
| 50m Rifle Prone Men | Qualifying | Sergey Kamenskiy | Russia |
629.0 | 12 August | OR |
| 50m Rifle Prone Men | Finals | Henri Junghänel |  Germany |
209.5 | 12 August | OR |
| 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men | Qualifying | Sergey Kamenskiy | Russia |
1184-67 | 14 August | OR |
| 50m Rifle 3 Positions Men | Finals | Niccolò Campriani | Italy |
458.8 | 14 August | OR |
- Many Olympic records were broken in shooting events, both in qualifying rounds and finals, showing how precise these athletes were.
Swimming
Swimming is always a big event at the Olympics, and Rio 2016 was no different with many records falling.
Men
| Event | Established for | Date | Round | Name | Nationality | Time | Record | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 100 metre breaststroke | (same) | 6 August | Heats | Adam Peaty | Great Britain |
57.55 | WR | 1 |
| Men's 100 metre breaststroke | (same) | 7 August | Final | Adam Peaty | Great Britain |
57.13 | WR | 2 |
| Men's 100 metre backstroke | (same) | 8 August | Final | Ryan Murphy | United States |
51.97 | OR | 3 |
| Men's 200 metre breaststroke | (same) | 9 August | Semifinal | Ippei Watanabe |  Japan |
2:07.22 | OR | 4 |
| Men's 100 metre butterfly | (same) | 12 August | Final | Joseph Schooling |  Singapore |
50.39 | OR | 7 |
| Men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay | Men's 100 metre backstroke | 13 August | Final | Ryan Murphy | United States |
51.85 r | WR | 8 |
| Men's 4 × 100 metre medley relay | (same) | 13 August | Final | Ryan Murphy (51.85) Cody Miller (59.03) Michael Phelps (50.33) Nathan Adrian (46.74) |
United States |
3:27.95 | OR | 8 |
Women
| Event | Date | Round | Name | Nationality | Time | Record | Day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay | 6 August | Heats | Madison Wilson (54.11) Brittany Elmslie (53.22) Bronte Campbell (53.26) Cate Campbell (51.80) |
 Australia |
3:32.39 | OR | 1 |
| Women's 100 metre butterfly | 6 August | Semifinal | Sarah Sjöström | Sweden |
55.84 | OR | 1 |
| Women's 400 metre individual medley | 6 August | Final | Katinka Hosszú |  Hungary |
4:26.36 | WR | 1 |
| Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay | 6 August | Final | Emma McKeon (53.41) Brittany Elmslie (53.12) Bronte Campbell (52.15) Cate Campbell (51.97) |
Australia |
3:30.65 | WR | 1 |
| Women's 400 metre freestyle | 7 August | Heats | Katie Ledecky | United States |
3:58.71 | OR | 2 |
| Women's 100 metre butterfly | 7 August | Final | Sarah Sjöström | Sweden |
55.48 | WR | 2 |
| Women's 400 metre freestyle | 7 August | Final | Katie Ledecky | United States |
3:56.46 | WR | 2 |
| Women's 200 metre individual medley | 8 August | Heats | Katinka Hosszú | Hungary |
2:07.45 | OR | 3 |
| Women's 100 metre breaststroke | 8 August | Final | Lilly King | United States |
1:04.93 | OR | 3 |
| Women's 200 metre individual medley | 9 August | Final | Katinka Hosszú | Hungary |
2:06.58 | OR | 4 |
| Women's 100 metre freestyle | 10 August | Heats | Cate Campbell | Australia |
52.78 | OR | 5 |
| Women's 100 metre freestyle | 10 August | Semifinals | Cate Campbell | Australia |
52.71 | OR | 5 |
| Women's 800 metre freestyle | 11 August | Heats | Katie Ledecky | United States |
8.12.86 | OR | 6 |
| Women's 100 metre freestyle | 11 August | Final | Simone Manuel | United States |
52.70 | OR | 6 |
| Women's 100 metre freestyle | 11 August | Final | Penny Oleksiak |  Canada |
52.70 | OR | 6 |
| Women's 800 metre freestyle | 12 August | Final | Katie Ledecky | United States |
8.04.79 | WR | 7 |
| Women's 4 x 100 metre medley relay | 13 August | Final | Kathleen Baker (59.00) Lilly King (1:05.70) Dana Vollmer (56.00) Simone Manuel (52.43) |
United States |
3:53.13 | OR | 1 |
Legend: r – First leg of relay
- All world records (WR) are consequently Olympic records (OR).
Weightlifting
Weightlifting is a sport where athletes lift heavy weights. It requires incredible strength and technique.
Men's Weightlifting Records
| Event | Date | Round | Name | Nationality | Weight | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Men's 56kg | 7 August | Clean & Jerk | Long Qingquan | China |
170 kg | OR |
| Men's 56kg | 7 August | Total | Long Qingquan | China |
307 kg | WR |
| Men's 77kg | 10 August | Snatch | Lü Xiaojun | China |
177 kg | WR |
| Men's 77kg | 10 August | Clean & Jerk | Nijat Rahimov |  Kazakhstan |
214 kg | WR |
| Men's 85kg | 12 August | Clean & Jerk | Tian Tao | China |
217 kg | OR |
| Men's 85kg | 12 August | Total | Kianoush Rostami |  Iran |
396 kg | WR |
| Men's 105 kg | 16 August | Clean & Jerk | Ruslan Nurudinov |  Uzbekistan |
237 kg | OR |
| Men's +105 kg | 16 August | Snatch | Behdad Salimi | Iran |
216 kg | WR |
| Men's +105 kg | 16 August | Total | Lasha Talakhadze |  Georgia |
473 kg | WR |
- Many male weightlifters set new world records and Olympic records by lifting incredible amounts of weight. For example, Long Qingquan from China set a world record by lifting a total of 307 kg!
Women's Weightlifting Records
| Event | Date | Round | Name | Nationality | Weight | Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Women's 53kg | 7 August | Snatch | Li Yajun | China |
101 kg | OR |
| Women's 58kg | 8 August | Snatch | Sukanya Srisurat |  Thailand |
110 kg | OR |
| Women's 63kg | 9 August | Clean & Jerk
Total |
Deng Wei | China |
147 kg
262 kg |
WR |
- Deng Wei from China set a world record in the women's 63kg category, lifting a total of 262 kg!
World Records Set by Date
Here's a list of all the world records that were broken during the 2016 Rio Olympics, listed by the date they happened.
| Date | Event | Athlete | Nation | Record description | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 August 2016 | Archery – Men's individual | Kim Woo-jin | South Korea |
Scored a world record of 700 in the ranking round | |
| 6 August 2016 | Swimming – Men's 100 metre breaststroke | Adam Peaty | Great Britain |
Set a world record time of 57.55 in the heats | |
| 6 August 2016 | Swimming – Women's 400 metre individual medley | Katinka Hosszú | Hungary |
Set a world record time of 4:26.36 in the final | |
| 6 August 2016 | Swimming – Women's 4 × 100 metre freestyle relay | Emma McKeon Brittany Elmslie Bronte Campbell Cate Campbell |
Australia |
Set a world record time of 3:30.65 in the final | |
| 7 August 2016 | Swimming – Men's 100 metre breaststroke | Adam Peaty | Great Britain |
Set a world record time of 57.13 in the final | |
| 7 August 2016 | Swimming – Women's 100 metre butterfly | Sarah Sjöström | Sweden |
Set a world record time of 55.48 in the final | |
| 7 August 2016 | Swimming – Women's 400 metre freestyle | Katie Ledecky | United States |
Set a world record time of 3:56.46 in the final | |
| 7 August 2016 | Weightlifting – Men's 56 kg | Long Qingquan | China |
Set a world record total of 307 kg | |
| 9 August 2016 | Weightlifting – Women's 63 kg | Deng Wei | China |
Set a world record at clean and jerk of 147 kg Set a world record total of 262 kg |
|
| 10 August 2016 | Weightlifting – Men's 77 kg | Lü Xiaojun | China |
Set a world record at snatch of 177 kg | |
| 10 August 2016 | Weightlifting – Men's 77 kg | Nijat Rahimov | Kazakhstan |
Set a world record at clean and jerk of 214 kg | |
| 11 August 2016 | Cycling – Women's team pursuit | Katie Archibald Laura Trott Elinor Barker Joanna Rowsell |
Great Britain |
Set a world record time of 4:13.260 in the qualification | |
| 12 August 2016 | Cycling – Women's team sprint | Gong Jinjie Zhong Tianshi |
China |
Set a world record time of 31.928 in the first round | |
| 12 August 2016 | Cycling – Men's team pursuit | Ed Clancy Steven Burke Owain Doull Bradley Wiggins |
Great Britain |
Set a world record time of 3:50.570 in the first round | |
| 12 August 2016 | Cycling – Men's team pursuit | Ed Clancy Steven Burke Owain Doull Bradley Wiggins |
Great Britain |
Set a world record time of 3:50.265 in the final | |
| 12 August 2016 | Athletics – Women's 10,000 metres | Almaz Ayana | Ethiopia |
Set a world record time of 29:17.45 in the final | |
| 12 August 2016 | Weightlifting – Men's 85 kg | Kianoush Rostami | Iran |
Set a world record total of 396 kg | |
| 12 August 2016 | Swimming – Women's 800 metre freestyle | Katie Ledecky | United States |
Set a world record time of 8:04.79 in the final | |
| 14 August 2016 | Athletics - Men's 400 metres | Wayde van Niekerk | South Africa |
Set a world record time of 43.03 in the final | |
| 15 August 2016 | Athletics - Women's hammer throw | Anita Włodarczyk | Poland |
Set a world record distance of 82.29 m in the final | |
| 16 August 2016 | Weightlifting - Men's +105 kg | Lasha Talakhadze | Georgia |
Set a world record at snatch of 215 kg | |
| 16 August 2016 | Weightlifting - Men's +105 kg | Behdad Salimi | Iran |
Set a world record at snatch of 216 kg | |
| 16 August 2016 | Weightlifting - Men's +105 kg | Lasha Talakhadze | Georgia |
Set a world record total of 473 kg |
See also
In Spanish: Anexo:Récords mundiales y olímpicos en los Juegos Olímpicos de Río de Janeiro 2016 para niños
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