Abstract
Extreme value theory provides methods to analyze the most extreme parts of data. We used the generalized extreme value (GEV) distribution to predict the ultimate 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 4 × 100 m relay, and long jump records of male gold medalists at the Olympics. The diagnostic plots, which assessed the accuracy of the GEV model, were fitted to all event records, validating the model. The 100 m, 200 m, 400 m, 4 × 100 m, and long jump records had negative shape parameters and calculated upper limits of 9.58 s, 19.18 s, 42.97 s, 36.71 s, and 9.03 m, respectively. The calculated upper limit in the 100 m (9.58 s) was equal to the record of Usain Bolt (August 16, 2009). The 100 m and 200 m world records were close to the calculated upper limits, and achieving the calculated limit was difficult. The 400 m and 4 × 100 m relay world records were almost equal to the calculated upper limits and the 500-year return level estimate, and slight improvement was possible in both. At the Tokyo Olympics in August 2021, in the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 m, in one year the probability of occurrence for a record was about 1/30. In the 400 m and long jump, it was about 1/20. In the 100 m, 200 m, and 4 × 100 m relay, more difficult records show that a fierce battle has taken place.