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.
Between the ranking periods of December 30, 2025, and January 6, 2026, the World Athletics Rankings changed significantly. Very few elite athletes have begun their season, and only one B level and one C level competition occurred between these dates. Despite that, U.S. women with a top 100 world ranking in the 200m improved their positions by a combined 85 spots. The men’s 200m? Another 40 spots. Across all events, the total movement of U.S. athletes was an improvement of 502 positions. How did this happen? Put simply: the ranking criteria have been updated. To recap, World Athletics Rankings are based on the average of top Performance Scores, which are the sum of the Results Score and Placing Score. This has not changed. While Results Scores have been updated a few times since their inception, those updates usually only apply to a select few events. That isn’t the case in this instance. Instead, Placing Scores have changed, and – for the most part – decreased. An Olympic Champion in most events is now awarded 260 points instead of the previous 375, and Diamond League meet winners are awarded 140 instead of 200. Almost entirely across the board, Placing Scores have been decreased, making them a lower proportion of an athlete’s Performance Score. Consequently, an athlete’s Ranking Score is now slightly more weighted towards their Results Scores, benefiting athletes with high level performances regardless of the meets at which they were achieved.
For most event groups and competition categories, the decrease in Placing Score hovers around 30%. The only exception is that Placing Scores in GW competitions (e.g. Diamond League meetings) only decreased by 20% for events that require 5 performances in 12 months. Conversely in the 5000m and 3000m Steeplechase, Placing Scores in DF and GW competitions decreased by about 40% for top 8 finishers, 30% for places beyond that, and 30% for other competition categories. The most notable exception to this 30% change is in the 10,000m, where the decrease is not uniform across finishing positions. In most cases, the change is uniform across each event and competition type, but in the 10,000m better finishing positions are affected more by the decrease in points earned. This essentially means that a sprint finish has a proportionately lower impact than before, which is significant for a 25-lap race. Under the old Placing Scores, the difference between 1st and 3rd at a GL level competition in the 10,000m was 35 points, and under the new Placing Scores that difference has shrunk to 18. This change also impacts the number of athletes awarded Placing Scores. For all events other than the Road Running and Marathon event groups, A, B, and C level competitions will now award Placing Scores to athletes who finish 9th-12th.
As mentioned earlier, with the introduction of these new Placing Score tables in the January 6, 2026 rankings update, U.S. athletes saw improvements in 80% of events. By reducing Placing Scores, Results Scores make up a higher proportion of an athlete’s Performance Score. For the thousands of collegiate athletes in the U.S. who usually do not have the opportunities to compete in competitions above an F level, this is a step forward. As far as the depth in A, B, and C meets being rewarded, this directly affects all the meets on the USATF Tour, as each holds one of those designations. More athletes’ world rankings will be impacted in fields greater than eight. Although changes have shaken up who is ranked #1 in the world in six different events, they will have a lasting positive impact on U.S. athletes. Rewarding depth at a competition and de-emphasizing Placing Scores will help level the playing field for collegiate athletes and professionals alike in the U.S., improving the world rankings of athletes across Team USATF. All Placing Scores can be found here.
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.