On top of the world - men's global rankings analysis 1967-2020
The December edition of AW magazine includes both world and UK rankings.
Looking for a historical connection we remembered that before the last World Championships, World Athletics published the top three performances in the world each year back to 1967 in their Doha statistics book.
Now while topping the world ranking lists is no substitute for winning major titles, it does give a good picture as to which athletes were in form that year.
Here we analyse who was No.1 the most times in each men's event over the last 50-plus years, as well as who appears in the top three the most. Women's events analysis can be found here.
In most events, it does appear that the greatest athlete over the period comes out on top and indeed it does give a good snapshot as to which athletes were the best over most events in the 75 years of AW.
Of course, those athletes in action prior to 1967, or those that may bestride before and after such as Ron Clarke and Irena Szewinska, can’t be fully appreciated for their brilliance.
In the below list we go through each event and also mention the most successful British athlete but a more detailed analysis of Britons in the world rankings can be found here.
Perhaps surprisingly it is 1984 and 1988 Olympic champion Carl Lewis who has topped the rankings most times. He was first six times and he also had two seconds.
World record-holder Usain Bolt was fastest five times which was matched by Olympic and world champion Maurice Greene.
Three-time top multi world record-breaking Asafa Powell made the top three 10 times for the best top three record.
Top 1: 6 Carl Lewis (1981-91)
Top 3: 10 Asafa Powell 10 (2004-15)
Top Brit: Linford Christie 1x1, 6x2 (1987-95)
Triple Olympic champion Bolt has six top rankings and also has two seconds and two thirds and he has 10 top three ranking years and the 10 is matched by 1993 world champion Frankie Fredericks who only had one first but five second and four thirds.
The 1996 Olympic champion Michael Johnson was top five times.
Top 1: 6 Usain Bolt (2008-15)
Top 3: 10 Bolt (2004-15) and Frankie Fredericks 10 (1991-2002)
Top Brit: John Regis 1x1, 1x2, 2x3 (1987-95)
Double Olympic champion Johnson topped the world rankings nine times with eight successive between 1993 and 2000. He also ranked third twice which gave him a top three place for 11 successive years.
Alberto Juantorena, Jeremy Wariner and LaShawn Merritt ranked top four times each.
Top 1: 9 Michael Johnson (1991-2000)
Top 3: 11 Johnson (1990-2000)
Top Brits: David Jenkins and Iwan Thomas 1x3 (1975, 1997)
World record-setters Wilson Kipketer and David Rudisha each topped the rankings five times. Kipketer also had a second and a third to give him seven top threes. However, this is topped by Johnny Gray’s eight. Gray was top in 1988 and 1992 but also had three seconds and three thirds.
Top 1: Wilson Kipketer 5 (1995-2002) and David Rudisha (2009-16)
Top 3: Johnny Gray 8 (1984-95)
Top Brit: Steve Cram 3x1, 2x3 (1982-88)
1996 Olympic champion Noureddine Morceli was ranked number one six successive years between 1990 and 1995 but that was surpassed by double Olympic champion Hicham El Guerrouj’s eight successive years between 1996 and 2003. The Moroccan also has a second and a third to give him 10 top threes.
Top 1: 8 Hicham El Guerrouj (1996-2003)
Top 3: 10 El Guerrouj (1995-2004)
Top Brit: Steve Ovett 3x1, 3x2 (1977-83)
El Guerrouj has six ranking toppers as well as two seconds for a grand total of eight. John Walker, who topped it three times between 1975 and 1977, also had two seconds and two thirds. Asbel Kiprop with four number ones and a second and two thirds also features seven times.
Top 1: 6 Hicham El Guerrouj (1997-2002)
Top 3: 8 El Guerrouj (1995-2003)
Top Brit: Steve Cram 3x1, 2x2, 1x3 (1984-93)
The 1984 Olympic 5000m champion Said Aouita has the most top rankings with four. Surprisingly, marathon record-holder Eliud Kipchoge with three number ones and two thirds has five top threes between 2003 and 2011 but it is double Olympic 5000m silver medallist Paul Bitok who tops the top three count with three seconds and three thirds.
Top 1: 4 Said Aouita (1984-89)
Top 3: 6 Paul Bitok (1992-2001)
Top Brits: Dick Taylor, Brendan Foster, Dave Moorcroft 1x1 (1969. 1974, 1982)
Kenenisa Bekele was top ranked six successive years and he also had a third for a top three total of seven with the latter matched by Haile Gebrselassie who had four firsts two seconds and a third.
Top 1: 6 Kenenisa Bekele (2004-09)
Top 3: 7 Bekele (2003-09) and Haile Gebrselassie (1993-99)
Top Brit: Mo Farah 2x1 (2011-16)
Bekele again has six on top but no other top threes and is therefore surpassed by his fellow double Olympic champion Gebrselassie’s seven from three firsts, two seconds and two thirds in a 15 year period between 1994 and 2008.
Top 1: 6 Kenenisa Bekele (2004-11)
Top 3: 7 Haile Gebrselassie (1994-2008)
Top Brit: Dave Bedford 3x1 (1970-73)
World record-breaker Gebrselassie is the only athlete with four top rankings in the period from 1967 and they came in successive years. Close behind with three come Derek Clayton, Bill Rodgers, Khalid Khannouchi and Eliud Kipchoge. The latter also has two seconds and a third for the most top three appearances of six.
Top 1: 4 Haile Gebrelassie (2005-08)
Top 3: 6 Eliud Kipchoge (2014-19)
Top Brits: Bill Adcocks, Steve Jones 1x1, 1x2 (1968-69 & 1984-85)
Three-time world champion Moses Kiptanui had five on top in successive years edging 1976 Olympic champion Anders Garderud’s four.
1980 champion Bronislaw Malinowski was only top once but was in the top three nine successive years. He died in a road accident in 1981. Multi world and Olympic champion Ezekiel Kemboi managed eight years in the top three between 2003 and 2015.
Top 1: 5 Moses Kiptanui (1991-95)
Top 3: 9 Bronsilaw Malinowski (1972-80)
Top Brit: Colin Reitz 1x2 (1986)
Allen Johnson had seven years at No. 1 plus a further five appearances in the top three up to 2006 for a 12 year successive run.
However, Greg Foster was first five times from 1978 to 1987 and also had six seconds and two thirds for a record for 13 appearances. Colin Jackson had four on top and 10 in the top three from 1988 to 2002.
Top 1: 7 Allan Johnson (1995-2003)
Top 3: 13 Greg Foster (1978-91)
Top Brit: Colin Jackson 4x1, 2x2, 4x3 (1988-2002)
The legendary double Olympic champion Ed Moses was top for 10 times and also had a third for 11 top three appearances. Moses’ rival Harald Schmid had eight top threes.
Top 1: 10 Ed Moses (1976-87)
Top 3: 11 Moses (1976-88)
Top Brit: Alan Pascoe 2x2 (1974-5)
World record-holder Javier Sotomayor was top eight times and also had three seconds for 11 top threes. Closing up though is Mutaz Essa Barshim who has been top seven times beteen 2012 and 2019.
Top 1: 8 Javier Sotomayor (1988-98)
Top 3: 11 Sotomayor (1986-99)
Top Brit: Steve Smith 4x2 (1992-9)
Ten-time global champion Sergey Bubka dominates with 13 years at the top plus a second. Renaud Lavillenie with four years on top is a distant second best.
Top 1: 13 Sergey Bubka (1984-97)
Top 3: 14 Sergey Bubka (1984-97)
Top Brit: Luke Cutts 1x3 (2014)
Four-time Olympic champion Lewis had seven years on top between 1981 and 1992 but also had four seconds and two thirds for 13 top threes in a period up to 1996.
Larry Myricks had 11 top threes between 1979 and 1991.
Top 1: 7 Carl Lewis (1981-92)
Top 3: 13 Lewis (1981-96)
Top Brit: Greg Rutherford 2x1, 1x1 (2012-4)
Six-time global champion Christian Taylor took his sixth year at the head of the rankings this year and also has had two seconds in the 2011 to 2020 period. However, triple Olympic champion Viktor Sanyeyev and nine in the top three between 1995 and 2003.
Top 1: 6 Christian Taylor (2011-20)
Top 3: 10 Viktor Sanyeyev (1968-80)
Top Brit: Jonathan Edwards 5x1, 2x2, 2x1 (1995-2003)
1976 Olympic champion Udo Beyer had six years at No.1 plus two seconds and a third for nine top threes. That is matched by Reese Hoffa who was only top once but had four seconds and four thirds in a successive period.
Top 1: 6 Udo Beyer (1977-86)
Top 3: 9 Beyer (1977-86) and Reese Hoffa (2005-13)
Top Brit: Geoff Capes 2x3 (1977-80)
Ricky Bruch had six years on top over a 16-year span but fellow Swede Daniel Stahl heads the rankings in 2020 for his fifth successive No.1 and that matches Gerd Kanter (2006-2010).
Five-time world champion Lars Riedel had four No.1s but also had three seconds and three thirds for 10 appearances in the top three between 1992 and 2003.
Double Olympic champion Virgilius Alekna also has four years on top but seven years at second and a third to head the top threes for a record 12 between 1997 and 2012.
Top 1: 6 Ricky Bruch (1969-84)
Top 3: 12 Virgilijus Alekna (1997-2012)
No Brits in top 3
World record-holder Yuriy Sedykh has been top of the rankings five times and he also chalked up two seconds and four thirds between 1976 and 1991 for 11 top threes.
Current star Pawel Fajdek had four successive No.1’s from 2014 to 2017 but has also been a close second three times.
Top 1: 5 Yuriy Sedykh (1976-88)
Top 3: 11 Sedykh (1976-88)
No Brits in top 3
Six-time global champion Jan Zelezny has been top ranked seven times but also has three seconds and two thirds for 12 top three appearances over a 17-year period.
Our analysis period only covers from 1967 and Janis Lusis had four tops from this period but he was successful from 1962 onwards when he was European champion.
Top 1: 7 Jan Zelezny (1987-2003)
Top 3: 12 Zelezny (1987-2003)
Top Brit: Steve Backley 2x1, 3x2, 3x3 (1989-2002)
The 1996 Olympic champion Dan O’Brien has six top rankings and a second, closely followed by Roman Sebrle who has five but the Czech also had three seconds for eight top threes between 2000 and 2007.
Ashton Eaton also had five No.1s from 2011 to 2016 while Daley Thompson has seven top threes as has Trey Hardee.
Top 1: 6 Dan O’Brien (1991-8)
Top 3: 8 Roman Sebrle (2000-7)
Top Brit: Daley Thompson 3x1, 2x2, 2x3 (1977-86)
The 1976 Olympic champion Daniel Bautista had four years at the top though it is Francisco Fernandez who has six top threes from 2002 to 2008 who heads the top threes.
Top 1: 4 Daniel Bautista (1975-9)
Top 3: 6 Francisco Fernandez (2002-8)
Top Brit: Paul Nihill 1x1 (1972)
The 2017 world champion Yohann Diniz has six number one spots between 2009 and 2017 and also a second though his top three total is bettered by 1968 Olympic champion Christophe Hohne who had two firsts, three seconds and three thirds for eight and that’s just in the 1967 to 1974 period and he was at international level even back in 1962.
Three time global silver medallist Ronald Weigel had seven top threes between 1982 and 1991.
Top 1: 6 Yohann Diniz (2009-17)
Top 3: 8 Christophe Hohne (1967-74)
No Brits in top 3
USA have been top-ranked 32 times since 1967 and also have eight seconds and four thirds for a total of 44. The next best team is Jamaica with seven No.1s.
Top 1: 32 USA (1967-2019)
Top 3: 44 USA (1967-2019)
Top Brits: 2x1, 7x2, 6x3 (1988-2019)
USA fare even better with 34 top-ranked performances together with nine seconds and two thirds for 45 top threes. Britain with seven top is next best.
Top 1: 34 USA (1967-2019)
Top 3: 45 USA (1967-2019)
Top Brits: 7x1, 5x2, 7x3 (1972-2018)
» For more on the latest athletics news, athletics events coverage and athletics updates, check out the AW homepage and our social media channels on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
