Why World Records Are Becoming Harder to Break, According to Mathematics
Date: October 4, 2025, 22:30 EDT
Mathematics and environmental science may help explain why some sports records fall rapidly while others endure for decades. As Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis continues to redefine human limits, experts suggest that performance records—whether in sport or climate—follow predictable statistical patterns that slow over time.
Duplantis and the Quest for Athletic Perfection
At the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Swedish athlete Armand “Mondo” Duplantis once again captivated the crowd. The reigning pole vault champion sprinted down the runway, planted his pole, and soared to a new height of 6.3 meters (20.6 feet)—his 14th world record and third consecutive world title.
Duplantis’s feat underscores how technological and physiological advances continue to shape modern athletics. Improvements in training, diet, biomechanics, and equipment have spurred record-breaking performances across several disciplines. In events such as pole vaulting and cycling, even minor technical innovations can lead to dramatic gains.
Yet not all sports follow this pattern. The men’s long jump record—set by Mike Powell in 1991 at 8.95 meters (29 feet 4 inches)—has remained untouched for more than three decades. Some analysts believe the event may have reached its physical and biomechanical limits, where external conditions such as wind, rest, or reaction timing determine marginal performance differences.
The Mathematical Logic of Records
Scientists describe this kind of plateau as a “stationary system”—one in which average performance remains stable over time. To understand how often new records might occur in such systems, mathematicians turn to examples from natural processes, including pre-industrial climate patterns and annual rainfall data.
Imagine measuring yearly rainfall across hundreds of cities. The first year automatically sets a record. In the second year, roughly half the cities surpass the previous total. By the third year, only one-third do. Mathematically, the expected number of records over time follows a sequence known as the harmonic series: 1 + ½ + ⅓ + ¼ + … + 1/n.
While the added terms become smaller, the sum continues to grow indefinitely—a concept known in mathematics as divergence. This explains why even in a stationary system, records can still occur, though increasingly infrequently. Statistically, after 100 years, only around five new records might be expected; after 1,000 years, perhaps seven.
This model helps scientists assess whether systems—from sports to climate—are stationary or changing. If records occur more frequently than mathematics predicts, it signals that something fundamental in the system is shifting.
Climate Data and the Record Ratio
Climate research provides a striking example of how record frequency reveals systemic change. According to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO), the rate of record-breaking heat events has surged in recent decades—far outpacing what would be expected in a stationary climate.
Scientists measure this through a metric called the record ratio, which compares the actual frequency of records to the predicted frequency. In the last 15 years, the ratio for cold events has fallen below 0.5, meaning cold records are now broken half as often as expected. Conversely, the hot record ratio climbed above 6.0 in 2024, the warmest year on record, suggesting heat extremes are occurring six times more often than they would in a stable system.
This statistical imbalance underscores the accelerating pace of global warming, driven largely by human-induced greenhouse gas emissions.
Has Human Performance Reached Its Peak?
Sports scientists have debated whether human athletic potential is also approaching a stationary limit. Studies examining performance data across track and field events indicate that many disciplines may be nearing physiological ceilings. If true, world records will become increasingly rare, mirroring the slowdown seen in mathematical models.
However, others argue that innovation and individual brilliance continue to expand what is possible. Duplantis’s repeated breakthroughs suggest the pole vault remains a dynamic event, while long jump results imply stagnation. Similarly, swimming has seen fluctuating record frequencies—accelerated by the introduction of polyurethane “super-suits” in 2008–2009, which were later banned for providing unfair advantages. Since then, improvements in technique and pool design have gradually rekindled record-setting progress.
Extraordinary Athletes and Changing Conditions
In some cases, exceptional athletes redefine the boundaries of sport. American swimmer Katie Ledecky has shattered 16 world records, including a recent benchmark in the 800-meter freestyle. These individual achievements highlight how rare combinations of physiology, training, and mental focus can overcome apparent physical limits.
Yet environmental factors are becoming increasingly influential. The 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo were held under intense heat and humidity, prompting World Athletics President Sebastian Coe to acknowledge that climate change could force the organization to reconsider the tradition of summer events. Only one world record—Duplantis’s—was set during the competition, and surveys found that three-quarters of athletes reported heat-related impacts on performance and health.
The Mathematics of Progress
Mathematics teaches that while records can always be broken, their frequency naturally declines as systems mature—whether that system is the climate, human physiology, or athletic technique. When change accelerates, as in global warming, records fall faster; when it slows, as in elite human performance, breakthroughs become rarer.
For now, Duplantis and athletes like Ledecky remind the world that while mathematics can describe the limits of possibility, extraordinary human effort can still redefine them.
Source: BBC – Why world records seem to be getting harder to beat – according to maths
