破れる and 破る: torn paper and broken promises
Examine thin material tearing and someone tearing it, then compare 破る with promises and records.
When thin material tears
袋が破れて、中の豆がこぼれました。 says that a bag tore and the beans inside spilled out. 破れる, read やぶれる, describes the change in the bag.
不要な紙を破って捨てました。 means that someone tore up unwanted paper and threw it away. 破る, read やぶる, becomes 破って to connect the actions.
Breaking a promise
約束を破って、友達を待たせてしまいました。 says that the speaker broke a promise and kept a friend waiting. 破る is not a physical tearing action here.
この約束は破れません。 can mean that one cannot break this promise. Since 破れる can also be the potential form of 破る, its written shape alone does not establish that it is intransitive.
With records, a better result
選手が大会記録を破りました。 says that an athlete broke the competition record. Unlike 約束を破る, it does not describe violating a commitment.
破れた袋を新しい袋に替えました。 means that someone replaced the torn bag with a new one. 破れた identifies the damaged state without naming its cause.
Does 記録を破る mean tearing the paper on which a record is written?
Show the answer and why
In a sports-performance context, it means surpassing an existing record. Interpret the noun before を together with the situation.