Records were a big part of the sports world in 2002, with world marks falling like autumn leaves in athletics and swimming. There were many top stories in 2002 from the pool and track as well as highlights in cycling, auto racing, boxing and more.
To nearly everyone's surprise, American sprinter Tim Montgomery set a new world record in the men's 100-meters - 9.78 seconds. Montgomery shaved one-100th of one second off the former mark held for three years by compatriot Maurice Greene. Montgomery set the new record at the IAAF Grand Prix athletics meet in Paris on September 14.
Khalid Khannouchi of the United States shattered his own world record at the London Marathon. The Moroccan-born 30-year-old clocked a time of 2:05.38. That beat the mark he set in Chicago three years ago by four seconds.
Paula Radcliffe of Britain shattered the world mark in the women's marathon, as she capped a sensational year by winning the Chicago Marathon on October 13. She covered the 42-kilometer route in 2:17.18. That was 89 seconds faster than the previous world best set by Catherine Ndereba of Kenya last year. Radcliffe also won the April 14 London Marathon in her debut race at that distance.
The IAAF also ratified Belarussian Alesya Turova's record of 9:16.51 seconds in the women's 3,000 meters steeplechase. She set the new mark in July at a meet in Gdansk, Poland.
A plethora of world records was the big story in swimming. Starting with British swimmer Zoe Baker's new mark of 30.53 seconds in the 50-meter breaststroke January 4 in Durban, South Africa, dozens of records fell in 2002. In this case, Baker broke her own record by 0.02 seconds just 10 days later at the World Cup short course meet in Italy. American swimmer Ed Moses was a top performer at January's World Cup short-course meet in Stockholm, Sweden. He broke three records in just two days, with world marks in the men's 50, 100, and 200-meter breaststroke.
In April, Swedish swimmer Emma Igelstrom nailed three world records at the world short-course championships in Moscow, with new marks in the 50 and 100-meter breaststroke. She also helped Sweden break the record in the medley relay.
On July 30, Australian superstar swimmer Ian Thorpe broke his own world record in the 400-meter freestyle event at the Commonwealth Games in Manchester England. But afterwards, the man known as "the Thorpedo" decided to take a break from the pool.
In mid-October he returned to training with a new coach, Tracey Menzies, saying he had a renewed enthusiasm for swimming. Thorpe said he had contemplated quitting the sport because he was bored with training. But bored or not, in 2002 he was arguably the world's greatest swimmer. He won six Commonwealth gold medals in Manchester in July and another five at the Pan Pacific Championships in Japan in August. He is also the world record holder in the 200, 400 and 800-meter freestyle events.
In mid-November, swimming's world governing body, FINA, announced that swimmers who set world records will now automatically be tested for the banned endurance enhancer EPO, or erythropoietin, and related substances.
The year ended as it began, with more world records. In early December, German swimmer Thomas Rupprath broke the world short-course record in the men's 100-meter backstroke in World Cup qualifying heats in Melbourne, Australia. It was his second world record in a week, after breaking his 50-meter backstroke mark in Shanghai, China.
In cycling's most prestigious event, American Lance Armstrong won the Tour de France race for the fourth straight time. He claimed the title by an overall margin of seven minutes and 17 seconds.
The Texan crossed the finish line on July 28, wearing the bright yellow leader's jersey he had worn since taking control of the race 10 days earlier. The 30-year-old cancer survivor became the first American to win the race four times, and is just one victory short of equaling the event record of five titles. Armstrong gave credit to his U.S. Postal Service teammates.
"The key in cycling is to never be alone," he said. "Only when you absolutely have to be - so that's in the time trials when you have to be alone, and if you attack in the final stages of an uphill finish. [Those are the] Only times to be alone. Outside of that, you always want to be with somebody, if not two or three guys. And you know, I rode this whole race with teammates. Very rarely was I alone."