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.
From June 16-23, one U.S. athlete in the top 100 of their respective event had the biggest absolute improvement to their World Ranking, rising up 27 spots. University of Tennessee freshman Hannah Grace got her sixth win in just her seventh competition this outdoor season at the USATF U20 Outdoor Championships. The 19-year-old defended her title, having previously taken the U20 title last season at 17 years old. Her personal best from the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships is higher than any other U20 athlete has jumped this year, and she’ll be back in action at Hayward Field for the World Athletics U20 Championships this August. 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), one U.S. athlete climbed from 10th to 5th for a 50% improvement. On June 19, Addison Wiley secured her first ever Diamond League win, taking down three athletes previously ranked higher than her. In doing so, she overtook all three of those athletes and two others to match her highest world ranking ever. Wiley’s ranking will continue to see fluctuations over the next month as two of her Diamond League runner-up finishes will expire, including the NACAC Record in the 1000m set at the Meeting International d’Athlétisme Herculis EBS. However, Wiley will make a quick return to action for the Mutola 800m at the 51st Prefontaine Classic at Hayward Field on July 4. 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.