13 Young Athletes Who Set World Records
Throughout sports history, certain exceptional young talents have shattered expectations and records alike, proving that extraordinary achievement isn’t always linked to years of experience. These athletic prodigies accomplished feats that seasoned professionals spend lifetimes pursuing.
Here is a list of 13 young athletes who set world records that left the sports world in awe.
Nadia Comaneci
At just 14 years old, Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci scored the first perfect 10 in Olympic gymnastics history at the Montreal Games. The scoreboard couldn’t even display her score properly, showing 1.00 instead of 10.00 because the manufacturers never imagined anyone would achieve perfection.
She went on to earn six more perfect scores during those Olympics.
Sky Brown
British skateboarding phenomenon Sky Brown became the youngest professional skateboarder in the world at age 10. At 13 years and 28 days old, she won a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics (held in 2021), making her Britain’s youngest Olympic medalist ever.
Her technical skills on the board rivaled competitors twice her age.
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Wayne Gretzky
Before becoming ‘The Great One,’ Wayne Gretzky was already breaking records as a child. At age 10, he scored 378 goals in a single season in his youth hockey league in Brantford, Ontario.
This early display of talent foreshadowed his future as hockey’s most prolific scorer and the only NHL player to accumulate more than 200 points in a single season.
Alyssa Carson
While not an athletic record, Alyssa Carson became the youngest person to complete all NASA Space Camps across the world at age 18. Her training included underwater survival, gravity simulation, and aerospace engineering fundamentals.
NASA recognizes her as the first person trained for a mission to Mars.
Lydia Ko
New Zealand golfer Lydia Ko became the youngest golfer to win a professional tournament at age 14 and the youngest world number one ranked golfer at 17. Her smooth swing and uncanny mental composure allowed her to outperform seasoned professionals with decades more experience.
Ko’s natural talent reshaped expectations for young golfers everywhere.
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Michael Phelps
Before becoming the most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps set his first world record in the 200-meter butterfly at age 15. His unusually long torso, short legs, and wingspan longer than his height gave him the perfect swimmer’s body.
Phelps’s early success launched what would become the most dominant Olympic career in history.
Momiji Nishiya
Japanese skateboarder Momiji Nishiya won Olympic gold in women’s street skateboarding at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at just 13 years and 330 days old. Her technical precision and fearless approach to difficult tricks set her apart from the competition.
Nishiya landed tricks that many adult professionals struggle to execute consistently.
Pelé
Brazilian soccer legend Pelé scored his first World Cup goal at age 17 during the 1958 tournament, becoming the youngest player ever to score in the competition. His natural ball control and vision on the field seemed impossible for someone so young.
This record still stands today, more than six decades later.
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Wilma Rudolph
After overcoming polio as a child, Wilma Rudolph became the youngest member of the U.S. track team at the 1956 Olympics at age 16, winning a bronze medal. Her triumph over early health challenges made her athletic achievements even more remarkable.
Rudolph went on to become the first American woman to win three gold medals in a single Olympics.
Tom Schaar
California skateboarder Tom Schaar landed the first-ever 1080 (three full rotations) on a skateboard at just 12 years old in 2012. Professional skaters had been attempting this seemingly impossible trick for years without success.
Schaar’s fearlessness and lower center of gravity gave him advantages that the adult professionals didn’t have.
Chloe Kim
American snowboarder Chloe Kim became the youngest woman to win an Olympic snowboarding gold medal at 17 during the 2018 Winter Olympics. She had qualified for the 2014 Olympics at 13 but couldn’t compete because she was too young according to Olympic rules.
Kim’s amplitude on the halfpipe set new standards for the sport.
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Katie Ledecky
Swimming phenom Katie Ledecky won her first Olympic gold medal in the 800-meter freestyle at age 15 during the 2012 London Games. Her unusual ability to maintain a sprinting pace throughout distance events revolutionized competitive swimming strategy.
Coaches now study her technique as the gold standard for distance swimming.
Marjorie Gestring
American diver Marjorie Gestring won gold in springboard diving at the 1936 Berlin Olympics at just 13 years and 268 days old, becoming the youngest Olympic gold medalist of the modern era. Her perfect form and fearless approach to complex dives impressed judges accustomed to much older competitors.
This age record has stood for over 85 years.
Beyond Their Years
Youth and inexperience are often considered limitations in high-level sports, yet these remarkable athletes proved otherwise through their unprecedented achievements. Their stories remind us that talent, determination, and the right support can overcome age barriers in extraordinary ways.
These young record-setters didn’t just participate in their sports—they redefined what’s possible for athletes of any age.
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