Biggest World Athletics Rankings Movers of the Week – 2/17/2026

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.

February 17, 2026

From February 10-17, 2026, four athletes in the top 100 of their respective events all tied for making the biggest improvement to their World Ranking amongst U.S. athletes, each improving their rank by 25 spots.

Weini Kelati’s American Record of 1:06:04 in the Half Marathon moved her from 44^th to 19^th in the Road Running World Rankings. This is in addition to her currently being ranked 23^rd in the 10,000m and 30^th in the 5,000m.

Maggi Congdon, World Championship semifinalist in the 800m, improved from 93^rd to 68^th in the 1500m World Rankings thanks to her 4:24.28 mile at the Sound Invite. This is her PB at the distance and was good for 3^rd place on the day.

Kayley Delay also set a PB at the Sound Invite. Her 4^th place 3000m effort of 8:39.72 moved her from 94^th to 69^th in the 5000m World Rankings.

Cal Poly pole vaulter Lexi Evans won the Husky Classic in Seattle, Washington with a 4.51m PB. This puts her 24^th on this season’s top list and improves her World Rank from 97^th to 72^nd.

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.

About the Author

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.