World record
A
world record is the best performance in a certain discipline, usually a
sports event. In the United States the form
world's record was formerly more common.
In a number of sports, such as
athletics or
swimming, world records are set in a number of events that are regularly competed in over the world. The governing body of the sport is charged with recognising the world records. In order for a record to be recognised, the event has to be held according to specific rules, and the athlete(s) in question usually have to be subject to a
doping test.
The breaking of an existing world record is a major achievement in an athlete's career.
Not all events have world records, as the achievements in some events are too dependent on the layout of the course or venue, which are not bounded by rules. Other events still keep records, but they are not regarded as significantly - for instance,
marathon world records are regarded as far less important than on-track athletic events. Some sports keep records for individual venues or courses; this is common in the aforementioned marathons, and also in motorsports, but these are usually referred to as course records rather than world records. Still, for particularly well-known events, a course record may be quite prestigious for the holder.
Outside of conventional sports, world records can also be set in virtually anything that is measurable, but verifying these records is often difficult.
Guinness World Records (formerly
Guinness Book of Records) collects and tries to verify all kind of world records.
Malaysia is one country where world record-breaking has become something of a national fad[
1]. India also enjoys setting and breaking records: they have a local version of the
Guinness Book of Records, called the
Limca Book of Records, after a local soft drink brand.
Guru
Sri Chinmoy, based in Queens, New York City, is known for promoting acts of physical superlativeness as a kind of transcendence, most notably with follower
Ashrita Furman.
*
Athletics world record*
Land speed record*
Water speed record*
Beer drinking records *
World records in chess*
List of world records*
Swimming world records
