Every Olympics provides athletes the chance to etch their names into the history books, and Tokyo was no different as numerous athletes set new records, whether they were world records or "just" personal records.
These Olympians broke some of the most notable records in Tokyo. And before we know it their new records could be broken once again in 2024.
Sydney McLaughlin resets own 400mH world recorld
American Sydney McLaughlin roared back after the final set of barriers to capture 400-meter hurdles gold in Tokyo, shaving nearly a half-second off her own world record from U.S. Trials in 51.46 and dethroning defending title-winner and teammate Dalilah Muhammad as Olympic champion.
SEE MORE: McLaughlin shatters own 400mH WR in 51.46 for Olympic gold
Caeleb Dressel breaks own 100m fly world record
American Caeleb Dressel broke his own men's 100-meter butterfly world record as he won his second individual gold medal — his third overall — at the Tokyo Olympics. Dressel touched first in 49.45, lowering his mark set at the 2019 World Championships by .05.
SEE MORE: Caeleb Dressel breaks 100m butterfly world record, wins gold
Kevin Durant breaks U.S. Olympic scoring record
Carmelo Anthony's Olympic scoring record is no more. Kevin Durant surpassed Anthony's 336 points during Team USA's preliminary contest against the Czech Republic to etch his name into U.S. Olympic history. Even more impressive, Durant didn't even need three full Olympics to surpass the record that Anthony set in four.
SEE MORE: Durant breaks USA men's all-time Olympic scoring record
Japan's judo dominance
Nine natives of Japan earned judo gold medals for the host country, which is an Olympic record. The previous record was eight golds, also set by Japan during the Athens Olympics in 2004. Naohisa Takato was the first Japanese judoka to earn his country a gold. Abe Uta and Abe Hifumi soon followed his lead, as did Shohei Ono, Takanori Nagase, Chizuru Arai, Shori Hamada, Aaron Wolf and Sone Akira.
SEE MORE: Japan dominates judo competition at legendary Nippon Budokan
Karsten Warmholm annihilates 400mH world record
Karsten Warholm of Norway absolutely pulverized his own world record in the 400-meter hurdles in Tokyo by three-quarters of a second, setting an unfathomable mark of 45.94 – one that may never be surpassed – to win Olympic gold in one of the greatest hurdling races in history. The two-time reigning world champion ripped his singlet at the chest like Superman after crossing the finish line ecstatic, gazing with his jaw dropped at the clock in utter disbelief.
SEE MORE: Karsten Warholm demolishes 400m hurdles WR in 45.94 for gold
Tajana Schoenmaker sets 200m breaststroke world record
South Africa's Tatjana Schoenmaker captured the first individual swimming world record of the Tokyo Olympics, winning the final of the women's 200-meter breaststroke in 2:18.95. Her time unseats the previous mark held by Denmark's Rikke Moller Pedersen, who eight years ago went 2:19.11 at the 2013 World Swimming Championships.
SEE MORE: Schoenmaker breaks 200m breaststroke WR; King, Lazor go 2-3
Yulimar Rojas obliterates triple jump world record
After many years in pursuit of the mark, Venezuelan triple jumper Yulimar Rojas finally found the mammoth leap she needed to shatter the event's world record, accomplishing it on the biggest stage possible. The two-time reigning world champion took down Ukrainian Inessa Kravets' 26-year-old all-time best of 15.50m from 1995 in the final at the Tokyo Olympics, bettering it by more than a half-foot with an astonishing 15.67m final attempt.
SEE MORE: Yulimar Rojas smashes triple jump world record with 15.67m
Aleksandra Miroslaw breaks speed climbing world record
Aleksandra Miroslaw added more history to an already groundbreaking week of sport climbing at the Tokyo Olympics, breaking the women's speed climbing world record in the discipline's final round.Miroslaw ascended the 15-meter-high (49 ft) wall in 6.84 seconds, chopping .12 off the previous mark set by Russian climber Iuliia Kaplina at the 2020 European Championships.
SEE MORE: Aleksandra Miroslaw smashes speed climbing world record
Lasha Talakhadze sweeps world weightlifting records
Lasha Talakhadze closed out Tokyo's weightlifting competitions in style, setting a world record with a 223kg lift in the snatch, setting another world record with a 265kg lift in the clean and jerk, and an overall world record of 488kg. The big Georgian left little doubt with each lift. And by using his first attempt in each phase to lift a higher weight than anyone else attempted at all, he was simply in a class by himself.
SEE MORE: Lasha Talakhadze sets new weightlifting world records
