Bananas for Scale

Sports

Athletic feats, records, and the equipment that makes them possible.

Usain Bolt 100m

The fastest 100 meters ever recorded by a human

Marathon World Record

42.195 km in under two hours, almost

Olympic Long Jump Record

8.90 meters of pure horizontal flight

Olympic High Jump Record

2.45 meters straight up, defying gravity with style

FIFA World Cup Match Ball

The most watched sphere on the planet every four years

Fastest Baseball Pitch

A 5-ounce ball hurtling at 105+ mph toward your face

Soccer Goal

7.32 meters of hope, heartbreak, and occasionally a net

Basketball Court

436 square meters of squeaking sneakers and dramatic flopping

400m Olympic Record

Wayde van Niekerk's blistering 43.03 seconds at Rio 2016

Pole Vault World Record

Armand Duplantis clearing 6.26 meters of pure gravity defiance

Shot Put World Record

Ryan Crouser hurling a 7.26 kg ball 23.56 meters

Javelin World Record

Jan Zelezny's 98.48 meter throw that nearly hit 100

Tour de France total distance

About 3,500 km of cycling through the French countryside and mountains

Soccer Ball (Match Ball, FIFA Quality Pro)

A 22-panel sphere kicked by billions

Olympic Swimming Pool (Water Volume)

2.5 million liters of precisely heated, filtered water

Tennis Racket

The strung frame used to wallop felt-covered rubber balls

Baseball Bat

The smooth round stick at the heart of America's pastime

Ice Hockey Puck

The frozen rubber disc that moves at up to 170 km/h

Surfboard (Shortboard)

The high-performance wave-riding plank for turns and tricks

Olympic Gold Medal

The most coveted prize in international sport

Boxing Ring

The raised square platform where fighters meet

Wrestling Mat

The circular competition surface for Olympic-style wrestling

Volleyball Court

The divided rectangular court for the six-a-side team sport

Cricket Pitch

The 22-yard strip at the center of the gentleman's game

Table Tennis Table

The compact arena for the world's fastest racket sport

Sumo Dohyo

The sacred clay ring of Japan's ancient national sport

Polo Field

The largest field in organized sport, the size of nine football pitches

Highland Games Caber

The full-length tree trunk tossed end-over-end in Scotland

Curling Stone

The polished granite disc slid across Olympic ice

Archery Target (Olympic)

The concentric-ringed face used in Olympic competition

Fencing Epee

The heavier thrusting sword used in Olympic fencing

Lacrosse Stick

The netted stick used in North America's oldest team sport

Polo Mallet

The long-handled stick swung from horseback

Rugby Ball

The oval ball that gave American football its shape

Badminton Shuttlecock

The feathered projectile that is the fastest racket sport object