IT’S ALWAYS TOUGH to choose between/among athletes who have options in multiple events (generally speaking, tracksters) and those with only one (fieldsters). Such was the case this year, with the selection panel wrestling with a choice between 1500/mile/3000/5000 star Laura Muir and high jumper Mariya Lasitskene. By a very narrow margin, the defending champ Russian was given the nod over the Scot, who won in ’17.
Lasitskene may have had only a single event, but she was a workhorse, jumping in no fewer than 10 meets, winning 9 of them. She equaled her PR of 6-8¼ (2.04), good for =No. 8 on the all-time list. Overall, she put up yearly performances 1, 2, =3, =3, =6, =6, =6, =6. The world as a whole put up 14 meets over the classic 2m (6-6¾) barrier; she owned 9 of them.
Muir was almost as busy running 9 times in 6 meets. She ended up No. 5 on the 800 list (1:59.50), No. 2 in the 1500 (4:01.84), No. 1 in the mile (4:18.75) and No. 1 in the 5000 (14:52.02), losing only in her single 800.
Honorable Mention: Katarina Johnson-Thompson of Britain, who put up the No. 6 pentathlon score ever, 4983, and undefeated (8 for 8) Russian vaulter Anzhelika Sidorova, whose 16-1¼ (4.91) moved her to =No. 4 on the all-time list.
