12 Who Will Dominate

By Daniel Benjamin

For every event, there is a favorite. But it is one thing to have the odds point your way and another thing entirely to bestride a sport. Here is a selection of athletes who collect world records the way lesser competitors notch victories. They may have rivals to watch out for, but they have no one to look up to. They are the rulers of the field.

With reporting by Brian Cazeneuve/New York