An international panel of experts assesses athletes’ form in 2014 to create rankings based on merit
Athletics International has once again collaborated with Athletics Weekly to produce an annual review including 2014 world top-10 merit rankings.
The full annual review can be found in the 116-page December 18 special double issue of AW, but we have also included the top three in each international women’s event below.
A panel led by statistician Peter Matthews and former AW editor Mel Watman assessed the year’s records of the leading contenders and the ranking order was determined by consensus.
Among the factors considered were athletes’ placings in significant competitions. In 2014 there was no World Championships, and the Diamond League and World Challenge meetings were mixed in with continental championships.
As ever the panel was concerned with the quality of athletes’ best marks, their consistency, and win-loss records against other ranked competitors. Marks made indoors were not considered (apart from when part of outdoor meetings, such as the Zürich shot or events moved indoors due to the weather), nor were any athletes who were suspended for two years during the year for drug-related offences.
Below are the top three in each women’s event. The men’s international rankings can be found here. The full top-10 list for every event, including the details of the athletes’ seasons, appear in our double-issue December 18 stats special, which is available to buy and read digitally here.
100m
1 Veronica Campbell-Brown (JAM)
2 Blessing Okagbare (NGR)
3 Michelle Lee Ahye (TTO)
200m
1 Allyson Felix (USA)
2 Dafne Schippers (NED)
3 Blessing Okagbare (NGR)
400m
1 Francena McCorory (USA)
2 Sanya Richards-Ross (USA)
3 Novlene Williams-Mills (JAM)
800m
1 Eunice Sum (KEN)
2 Ajee’ Wilson (USA)
3 Brenda Martinez (USA)
1500m
1 Jennifer Simpson (USA)
2 Sifan Hassan (NED)
3 Abebe Aregawi (SWE)
5000m
1 Genzebe Dibaba (ETH)
2 Almaz Ayana (ETH)
3 Viola Kibiwot (KEN)
10,000m
1 Joyce Chepkirui (KEN)
2 Florence Kiplagat (KEN)
3 Sally Kipyego (KEN)
Marathon
1 Tirfi Tsegaye (ETH)
2 Edna Kiplagat (KEN)
3 Florence Kiplagat (KEN)
3000m steeplechase
1 Hiwot Ayalew (ETH)
2 Emma Coburn (USA)
3 Sofia Assefa (ETH)
100m hurdles
1 Dawn Harper-Nelson (USA)
2 Queen Harrison (USA)
3 Sally Pearson (AUS)
400m hurdles
1 Kaliese Spencer (JAM)
2 Eilidh Child (GBR)
3 Kemi Adekoya (BRN)
High jump
1 Mariya Kuchina (RUS)
2 Ruth Beitia (ESP)
3 Blanka Vlasic (CRO)
Pole vault
1 Fabiana Murer (BRA)
2 Jenn Suhr (USA)
3 Ekateríni Stefanidi (GRE)
Long jump
1 Tianna Bartoletta (USA)
2 Éloyse Lesueur (FRA)
3 Ivana Spanović (SRB)
Triple jump
1 Caterine Ibargüen (COL)
2 Yekaterina Koneva (RUS)
3 Olga Saladuha (UKR)
Shot
1 Valerie Adams (NZL)
2 Christina Schwanitz (GER)
3 Michelle Carter (USA)
Discus
1 Sandra Perkovic (CRO)
2 Gia Lewis-Smallwood (USA)
3 Dani Samuels (AUS)
Hammer
1 Anita Wlodarczyk (POL)
2 Betty Heidler (GER)
3 Wang Zheng (CHN)
Javelin
1 Barbora Spotáková (CZE)
2 Kimberley Mickle (AUS)
3 Sunette Viljoen (RSA)
Heptathlon
1 Katarina Johnson-Thompson (GBR)
2 Brianne Theisen-Eaton (CAN)
3 Nadine Broersen (NED)
20km walk
1 Anisya Kirdyapkina (RUS)
2 Liu Hong (CHN)
3 Elmira Alembekova (RUS)
» For the full top-10 list for every event, including details of athletes’ seasons, see the double-issue December 18 stats special Athletics Weekly, which is available to order here or read digitally here
» Peter Matthews and Mel Watman are Joint Editors of Athletics International. For more information on receiving the Athletics International newsletter email [email protected]
