(through the 2021 season)
(compiled by Jim Rorick)
How hard is it to make the T&FN World Rankings?
In crafting our annual compilations we have long noted that just running fast or jumping/throwing high/far isn’t enough. For graphic proof check out the following list of high-powered athletes.
These are the performers with the highest mark on the all-time list who were never quite good enough to make the World Rankings in that event (although they may have in another event).
Specifically that means not good enough to have ranked in any year, not just the year in which they recorded this mark.
The imposing list:
| MEN | ||
| 100 | 9.77(A) | Ferdinand Omanyala (Kenya) ’21 |
| 9.86 | Divine Oduduru (Nigeria) ’19 | |
| 200 | 19.69(A) | Clarence Munyai (South Africa) ’18 |
| 19.75 | Steven Gardiner (Bahamas) ’18 | |
| 400 | 43.93 | Rusheen McDonald (Jamaica) ’15 |
| 800 | 1:43.03 | Kenneth Kimwetich (Kenya) ’98 |
| 1500 | 3:28.81 | Mo Farah (Great Britain) ’13 |
| Mile | 3:47.01i | Yomif Kejelcha (Ethiopia) ’19 |
| Steeple | 8:05.69 | Fernando Carro (Spain) ’19 |
| 5000 | 12:53.28 | Getnet Wale (Ethiopia) ’21 |
| 10,000 | 26:43.98 | Lucas Rotich (Kenya) ’11 |
| 110H | 13.06 | Shunsuke Izumiya (Japan) ’21 |
| 400H | 47.85 | Sean Burrell (US) ’21 |
| Mar | 2:03:30 | Amos Kipruto (Kenya) ’20 |
| 20W | 1:18:04 | Shuai Sun (China) ’21 |
| 50W | 3:39:47 | Tomohiro Noda (Japan) ’18 |
| MEN’S FIELD | ||
| HJ | 2.38 | 7-9¾i | Wolf-Hendrik Beyer (Germany) ’94 |
| PV | 5.90 | 19-4¼ | Jacob Davis (US) ’98 |
| 5.90 | 19-4¼(A) | Jacob Wooten (US) ’20 | |
| 5.90 | 19-4¼(A) | Matt Ludwig (US) ’20 | |
| LJ | 8.49 | 27-10¼ | Melvin Lister (US) ’00 |
| TJ | 17.78 | 58-4 | Melvin Lister (US) ’04 |
| SP | 22.22 | 72-10¾ | Bob Bertemes (Luxembourg) ’19 |
| DT | 69.90 | 229-4 | Jason Young (US) ’10 |
| HT | 82.40 | 270-4 | Plamen Minev (Bulgaria) ’91 |
| JT | 89.17 | 292-6 | Edis Matusevičius (Lithuania) ’19 |
| Dec | 8526 | Francisco Benet (Spain) ’98 |
| WOMEN | ||
| 100 | 10.87 | Natasha Morrison (Jamaica) ’21 |
| 10.87 | TeeTee Terry (US) ’21 | |
| 200 | 21.95 | Anavia Battle (US) ’21 |
| 400 | 49.49 | Olga Zaytseva (Russia) ’06 |
| 800 | 1:56.21 | Zamira Zaytseva (Soviet Union) ’83 |
| 1500 | 3:58.03 | Elle St. Pierre (US) ’21 |
| Mile | 4:17.60 | Laura Weightman (Great Britain) ’19 |
| Steeple | 9:10.27 | Colleen Quigley (US) ’18 |
| 5000 | 14:28.55 | Eilish McColgan (Great Britain) ’21 |
| 10,000 | 30:37.24 | Irene Kimais (Kenya) ’21 |
| 100H | 12.44 | Tonea Marshall ’21 |
| 400H | 53.77 | Irina Davydova (Russia) ’12 |
| Mar | 2:18:33 | Azmera Abreha (Ethiopia) ’19 |
| 20W | 1:25:29 | Glenda Morejón (Ecuador) ’19 |
| 50W | 4:05:46 | Julia Takács (Spain) ’19 |
| WOMEN’S FIELD | ||
| HJ | 2.02 | 6-7½ | Nafi Thiam (Belgium) ’19 |
| PV | 4.83 | 15-10 | Michaela Meijer (Sweden) ’20 |
| LJ | 7.20 | 23-7½ | Irena Ozhenko (Soviet Union) ’86 |
| TJ | 14.83 | 48-8i | Yelena Lebedenko (Russia) ’01 |
| SP | 21.05 | 69-¾ | Zdenka Šilhavá (Czechoslovakia) ’83 |
| DT | 70.22 | 230-4 | Jorinde van Klinken (Netherlands) ’21 |
| HT | 76.86 | 252-2 | Aksana Miankova (Belarus) ’06 |
| JT | 66.53 | 218-3 | Marcelina Witek (Poland) ’18 |
| Hept | 6551 | Yelena Martsenyuk (Soviet Union) ’88 |