What's it like to break a world record?

Mere mortals like you or I could only dream of breaking a world record. spikesmag.com caught up with four stars of track and field and asked, "what's like to break a world record?"

Wilson Kipketer
The current world 800m record holder both indoors and out.

You’ve broken three world records in your career but do you have a favourite?
The one record which stands out is my world record of 1:42.67 set at the 1997 World Indoor Championships.  I was surprises I could run that fast, but I was just rolling that day.

Some athletes say you don’t sleep after breaking the world record. Did you get any shut-eye that night?
You have to go through doping, do interviews, see friends, then get something to eat. So it was 3am before I got to sleep.

What does it feel like to still be world record holder?
I am a little bit disappointed, but now, my name is being mentioned again because it means they are running close to the record.

Would you be sad to lose your world records?
I’d be happy to see someone break the world record, but only if it was to a proper champion. We haven’t seen a real 800m runner win the Olympics yet because Seb Coe or myself never won the Olympics.

See Wilson's outdoor record here.
 
Mike Powell
Set the existing world long jump record of 8.95m by winning the 1991 World Championships and defeating Carl Lewis in Tokyo in an epic competition.

Taking the world record, becoming world champion or beating Carl Lewis - what was the most satisfying?
I’d been fighting his [Lewis’] notoriety for so long because he hadn’t lost for 10 years, so it was all of them really.

Did you believe the record would still be around 17 years later?
I thought Ivan Pedroso [the 2000 Olympic champion] would break it. He did, once, but the wind gauge was broken and it was never ratified.

Would you be gutted to lose the record?
Yes, I want the record to go for 20 years. Jesse Owens held it for 25 years and Bob Beamon 23 years, if I get it into 20, I’m in that same category.

Would your life have been any different had you not broken the world record?
It may have made me more hungry. I look back now and think I did it all in that evening, what was left? Even if I was better physically, maybe I didn’t have that same desire.

How did you celebrate the world record?
I thought I would go out and party but after doing drug testing and the medal ceremony, I went back to the hotel with my coach, had a beer or two and went to sleep.

See Mike's world record here.

Maurice Greene
Smashed the world 100m record by running 9.79 in Athens in 1999

Can you describe the feeling of breaking the world 100m record?
It is like taking the biggest most exciting day of your life and multiplying it by 10. Only an elite few can be a world record holder, so you are in an exclusive group.

Did you get any sleep that night?
No, I went out partying. But my main goal that year was to win the World Championship so after two days of celebrating, I flew back home and went right back to work.

What were your thoughts when Asafa Powell smashed your world record in 2005?
I thought it was a good thing. Records are meant to be broken.

Sergey Bubka
Broke the world pole vault record a staggering 35 times in his career

Which was your most cherished world record?
Every record has some value. The most memorable was when I competed with Thierry Vigneron [of France] in Rome in 1984. He set the world record with 5.91m. So I said, ‘Okay, I’ll do something special.’ Five minutes later, I cleared 5.94m and it was incredible... two world records in the pole vault.

You have held the world record for nearly 25 years. What would it mean to no longer hold the record?
I will be happy because it is too much pressure and too much press and media.

Following a world record did you often suffer a sleepless night?
If you do not sleep after the meeting it is because of emotion. This is the main reason, but it depends on the personality.

Do you often celebrate your world record with a few beers?
I’m a professional guy. After the competition I didn’t go to the disco and drink. I stayed in with a few close friends, analysed the competition, had a massage and prepared for the next week.

See Sergey's record here.