by Lia Skoufos, MS
This article is part of a USATF Campus exclusive series to help understand the World Athletics Rankings. For track enthusiasts and elite athletes alike, this series aims to provide clarity, analysis, and education on all things World Rankings and how they impact Team USATF. For more information on how the World Rankings system works, see this article.
In one of the most competitive weeks yet, where twenty athletes improved by at least ten positions each, one U.S. athlete in the top 100 of their respective event had the biggest absolute improvement to their World Ranking – improving by thirty-six spots from 90th to 54th. Indiana University senior Trelee Banks-Rose took third place in the 200m at the Big Ten Outdoor Track & Field Championships on May 17, and despite neither the prelims nor finals times being wind-legal, both marks made their way into his ranking score. Those two performances combined with a runner-up finish at the Big Ten Conference Indoor Track & Field Championships, a fourth-place finish at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track & Field Championships, and a fourth-place finish at last year’s NCAA Division I East Regionals comprise his ranking score and serve as a reminder that the NCAA championship season is upon us. In replacing two of his marks instead of the typical one in a given week, Banks-Rose’s improvement was even more significant, and hopefully he can continue to improve and perform in higher level competitions in the near future. When assessing improvement based on percentage increase in ranking (e.g. 2nd to 1st is a 50% improvement as is moving from 30th to 15th), the top U.S. athlete climbed from 4th to 1st for a 75% improvement. Reigning Olympic Champion Masai Russell set a new NACAC Record in the Women’s 100m Hurdles at the Wanda Diamond League Xiamen and rose to the top of the world rankings, a position she had previously held for a single week during last year’s Diamond League season. The battle for the world #1 spot in the 100m hurdles is a close one, with the top four athletes all within 7 points in terms of ranking score. But with the two most recent Diamond League wins, Russell has come out on top. More details on rankings, results, and scenarios can be found on the World Athletics website. You can also experiment with my World Athletics Rankings Dashboard & Calculator and World Rankings Over Time Dashboard, hosted exclusively on USATF Campus.
Lia Skoufos is a Sports Scientist at USATF specializing in throwing events. She holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois Chicago and MS in Sport and Exercise Analytics from Marquette University and supports a range of analytics-based projects at USATF. In addition to her work with the throws group, she focuses on creating data-driven visuals and bridging the gap between technical analytics and practical applications by translating complex information into clear, actionable insights for coaches, athletes, and all USATF Campus members.