Paris 2024 Olympics: Records that could be broken - from Kevin Durant to Katie Ledecky
The Olympic Games has a storied history with thousands of athletes from around the world providing a regular spectacle of sporting drama, intrigue and passion.
While some athletes have competed at multiple Olympic Games, others will be re-writing the record books by representing their nation for the first time.
Here are some of the unique individual and team records that could be broken at Paris 2024.
Veteran Kevin Durant is excited to play in his fourth Olympic Games (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Record-chasing Olympians
NBA star Kevin Durant could become the first male athlete to win four gold medals in any team sport should Team USA win a fifth consecutive Olympic basketball gold medal on 10 August, but his record could be equalled just 24 hours later should France win the men's handball competition the following day.
France's three-time IHF World Player of the Year Nikola Karabatic has appeared in the last five Olympic Games, helping his team win gold at Beijing 2008, London 2012 and Tokyo 2020. It could be an emotional farewell in front of a home crowd at the Pierre Mauroy Stadium on the final day of competition with the 40-year-old, one of the sport's greatest ever players, set to retire after Paris 2024.
But you don't have to be a multiple Olympic champion to break records. Jimmer Fredette could make history by just stepping out onto the 3x3 court at Place de la Concorde on 30 July.
Back in 2011, the basketball world was in the midst of a phenomenon known as “Jimmermania.” At the time, Fredette, a young collegiate, was setting the NBA alight and shooting hoops for fun. The point guard moved to the People’s Republic of China where he was awarded MVP before he made the switch to 3x3 in 2022.
By competing at Paris 2024, Fredette will become the first NBA player to compete in the Olympic 3x3 tournament and he could even help guide Team USA to their first men’s Olympic title on debut. The final will take place on Monday 5 August.
In the women's tournament, both Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young could become the first players to win an Olympic gold medal in both 3x3 and 5x5. The duo helped lead Team USA to the 3x3 women's gold at Tokyo 2020, where Plum finished tied as the tournament's leading scorer, alongside Wang Lili, with 55 points.
It will be a remarkable achievement if she could top the scoring charts once again.
Elsewhere, seven-time gold medallists Isabell Werth and Kate Ledecky have an opportunity to etch their names into the history books by winning the most Olympic gold medals in any sport. The current women’s record is held by gymnast Larisa Latynina, who scooped nine gold medals during her illustrious career.
German equestrian star Werth could win two golds at Château de Versailles to match Latynina’s tally, while American swimming ace Ledecky could overtake both if she wins three of her four events at the La Defense Arena*.*
Over at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre, Nino Salukvadze has the opportunity to extend her record for competing in the most Olympic Games. Paris 2024 will be her 10th Olympic Games – a remarkable feat that no other woman has come close to.
The Georgian shooter has competed in every Olympics since Seoul 1988, the same year in which Florence Griffith-Joyner set the women’s 100m and 200m world records, and nine years before Simone Biles - the most decorated gymnast in history - was born.
Salukvadze has three gold medals to her name and could also break a record for being the first athlete to compete in 10 consecutive Olympic Games when she appears at Paris 2024 from 27 July.
United States women's national basketball team, Athens 2004 Summer Olympic Games
Team records
Paris 2024 will mark the first time ever that Uzbekistan will have participated in a team sport at an Olympic Games.
Their men's football team will make their Olympic debut at the Parc des Princes on 24 July when they take on Spain in their Group C opener.
The same applies to Azerbaijan, after their women's 3x3 basketball team secured a spot at the Games by winning the Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Hong Kong earlier this year. The nation's first match of pool play will be on 30 July - also, against Spain.
From 3x3 to 5x5, Team USA's women could make further history on the final day of competition.
Should they win gold at the Bercy Arena on 11 August, it will be the eighth-straight gold medal in the event since they started their astonishing winning run at Atlanta 1996, and would break the record for the most consecutive Olympic gold medals in any team sport.
The current record is tied with the men’s USA basketball team, who won seven golds from 1936 to 1968.
Team USA’s Diana Taurasi already shares the record for the most Olympic golds in a team sport, along with former teammate Sue Bird, with five golds apiece from Athens 2004 through to Tokyo 2020.
However by competing in her sixth Olympic Games this summer, Taurasi could extend this record-breaking run if Team USA win gold in Paris, where she will become the athlete with the most Olympic gold medals in any team sport.