(through the 2019 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’S TRACK | ||
| 100 | 9.86 | Divine Oduduru (Nigeria) ’19 |
| 200 | 19.69(A) | Clarence Munyai (South Africa) ’18 |
| (low-altitude) | 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 | 12:53.72 | Philip Mosima (Kenya) ’96 |
| 10,000 | 26:43.98 | Lucas Rotich (Kenya) ’11 |
| 110 Hurdles | 13.11 | Aleec Harris (US) ’15 |
| 13.11 | Antonio Alkana (South Africa) ’17 | |
| 400 Hurdles | 47.93 | Kenji Narisako (Japan) ’06 |
| Marathon | 2:03:40 | Herpasa Negasa (Ethiopia) ’19 |
| 20K Walk | 1:18:12 | Artur Meleshkevich (Belarus) ’01 |
| 50K Walk | 3:39:47 | Tomohiro Noda (Japan) ’18 |
| MEN’S FIELD | ||
| High Jump | 2.38 | 7-9¾i | Wolf-Hendrik Beyer (Germany) ’94 |
| Pole Vault | 5.90 | 19-4¼ | Jacob Davis (US) ’98 |
| Long Jump | 8.49 | 27-10¼ | Melvin Lister (US) ’00 |
| Triple Jump | 17.78 | 58-4 | Melvin Lister (US) ’04 |
| Shot | 22.22 | 72-10¾ | Bob Bertemes (Luxembourg) ’19 |
| Discus | 69.90 | 229-4 | Jason Young (US) ’10 |
| Hammer | 82.40 | 270-4 | Plamen Minev (Bulgaria) ’91 |
| Javelin | 89.17 | 292-6 | Edis Matusevičius (Lithuania) ’19 |
| Decathlon | 8526 | Francisco Benet (Spain) ’98 |
| WOMEN’S TRACK | ||
| 100 | 10.75 | Sha’Carri Richardson (US) ’19 |
| 200 | 22.17 | Sha’Carri Richardson (US) ’19 |
| 400 | 49.49 | Olga Zaytseva (Russia) ’06 |
| 800 | 1:56.21 | Zamira Zaytseva (Soviet Union) ’83 |
| 1500 | 3:58.28 | Elvan Abeylegesse (Turkey) ’04 |
| Mile | 4:17.60 | Laura Weightman (Great Britain) ’19 |
| Steeple | 9:10.27 | Colleen Quigley (US) ’18 |
| 5000 | 14:33.13 | Gulnara Galkina (Russia) ’08 |
| 10,000 | 30:46.24 | Zeineba Yimer (Ethiopia) ’19 |
| 100 Hurdles | 12.52 | Chanel Brissett (US) ’19 |
| 400 Hurdles | 53.77 | Irina Davydova (Russia) ’12 |
| Marathon | 2:18:33 | Azmera Abreha (Ethiopia) ’19 |
| 20K Walk | 1:25:29 | Glenda Morejón (Ecuador) ’19 |
| 50K Walk | 4:05:46 | Julia Takács (Spain) ’19 |
| WOMEN’S FIELD | ||
| High Jump | 2.02 | 6-7½ | Nafi Thiam (Belgium) ’19 |
| Pole Vault | 4.75 | 15-7(A)i | Kylie Hutson (US) ’15 |
| 4.75 | 15-7(A)i | Demi Payne (US) ’15 | |
| 4.75 | 15-7 | Michaela Meijer (Sweden) ’19 | |
| Long Jump | 7.20 | 23-7½ | Irena Ozhenko (Soviet Union) ’86 |
| Triple Jump | 14.83 | 48-8i | Yelena Lebedenko (Russia) ’01 |
| Shot | 21.05 | 69-¾ | Zdenka Šilhavá (Czechoslovakia) ’83 |
| Discus | 69.08 | 226-8 | Mariana Lengyel (Romania) ’86 |
| Hammer | 76.86 | 252-2 | Aksana Miankova (Belarus) ’06 |
| Javelin | 67.11 | 220-2 | Maria Andrejczyk (Poland) ’16 |
| Heptathlon | 6551 | Yelena Martsenhyuk (Soviet Union) ’88 |