Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Entertainment/2012 July 27

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July 27

Longest standing world record in an olympic event

Dear Wikipedians,

Which current world record in an event occurring in this London Olympics dates back the longest? I don't mind if the record was set at an olympics or not, just a world record which could be broken at the Olympics and which dates back to the oldest date. Thanks! 86.163.45.70 (talk) 07:56, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

I want to say it is probably Galina Chistyakova's 24-year old long jump record . But who knows how to systemattically confirm this? Tom Haythornthwaite 08:20, 27 July 2012 (UTC) — Preceding unsigned comment added by Hayttom (talk • contribs)

This article (Telegraph, UK) says the longest-lasting track and field record is Jarmila Kratochvílová's in the women's 800 metres, set 26 July 1983 (they say there are suspicions drugs were involved). We have an article List of world records in athletics which confirms this - there are a few other men's and women's records from the 1980s but none before Kratochvílová. I don't know about records in events other than track and field athletics. --Colapeninsula (talk) 09:15, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Certainly nothing in List_of_world_records_in_swimming to beat that. Rmhermen (talk) 14:41, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Nothing in rowing either or weightlifting which only goes back to 1993 when they changed weight classes. Rmhermen (talk) 14:45, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Not a world record but the oldest Olympic record for a current event is probably Bob Beamon's long jump from the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico. CambridgeBayWeather (talk) 15:23, 27 July 2012 (UTC)

Tug of war at the 1920 Summer Olympics? 69.62.243.48 (talk) 23:17, 27 July 2012 (UTC)