On top of the world - women'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 women's event over the last 50-plus years, as well as who appears in the top three the most. Men'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.
1980 Olympic champion Marlies Gohr was top six times and also had three seconds and a third but her top three total of 10 was surpassed by Merlene Ottey. The Jamaican had five firsts, five seconds and two thirds for a total of 12.
Top 1: 6 Marlies Gohr (1977-85)
Top 3: 12 Merlene Ottey (1981-97)
Top Brit: Dina Asher-Smith 1x1 (2018)
The 1983 world champion Marita Koch had six years on top between 1978 and 1985 and that was matched by Allyson Felix between 2003 and 2014 with the latter also having four seconds. The American's total of 10 top threes is matched by Merlene Ottey who had three firsts, one second and six thirds between 1980 and 1997.
The 1968 Olympic champion Irena Szewinska had five firsts and three seconds and two thirds to also have 10 between 1967 and 1976 but she was also second in the 1964 Olympics and would have been top had we covered a wider period.
Top 1: 6 Marita Koch (1978-85), Allyson Felix (2003-14)
Top 3: 10 Merlene Ottey (1980-97), Felix (2003-14)
Top Brit: Dina Asher-Smith 1x1, 1x2 (2018-9)
1980 Olympic winner Koch was also top seven times here between 1978 an 1986 and second twice for a total of nine top threes.
2012 Olympic champion Sanya Richards had four firsts, two seconds and two thirds for a total of eight between 2005 and 2014.
Top 1: 7 Marita Koch (1978-86)
Top 3: 9 Koch (1977-86)
Top Brit: Christine Ohuruogu 1x1, 1x2 (2007-13)
Maria Mutola, who won 10 world indoor and outdoor titles, was ranked first seven times but also had three seconds and two thirds for 12 top three rankings between 1993 and 2007. Caster Semenya with six top ranks from 2009 to 2019 is the next most successful.
Top 1: 7 Maria Mutola (1993-2003)
Top 3: 12 Mutola (1993-2007)
Top Brit: Kelly Holmes 1x2, 1x3 (1995-2004)
The 2012 Olympic champion Maryam Jamal was No.1 five times between 2005 and 2010 and was also second twice and her total of seven top three's is surprisingly sufficient to head that count.
Top 1: 5 Maryam Jamal (2005-10)
Top 3: 7 Jamal (2005-11)
Top Brit: Laura Muir 2x1 (2016-2020)
The 1983 world 1500m champion Mary Decker has led the world rankings four times and she also has a second and a third in a 10 year period. The total of six top threes (two of each) is matched by 1984 Olympic 800m champion Doina Melinte.
Top 1: 4 Mary Decker (1980-88)
Top 3: 6 Decker (1979-88), Doina Melinte (1986-92)
Top Brit: Rita Ridley 1x2, 1x3 (1968-71)
The 2000 Olympic 5000m champion Gabriela Szabo was top six times between 1997 and 2003 and she also had three seconds and her total of nine top-three’s is unsurpassed.
2004 and 2012 Olympic 5000m champion Meseret Defar was top four times.
Top 1: 6 Gabriela Szabo (1997-2003)
Top 3: 9 Szabo (1995-2003)
Top Brit: Yvonne Murray 4x2, 1x3 (1988-94)
Defar was top three successive times between 2005 and 2007 and that was matched by 2016 Olympic champion Vivian Cheruiyot between 2010 and 2012, while Tirunush Dibaba was also top three times between 2008 and 2013.
Defar also had three seconds and a third for a total of seven top threes which is matched by Dibaba who also had a second and three thirds.
Top 1: 3 Meseret Defar (2005-7), Tirunesh Dibaba (2008-13), Vivian Cheruiyot (2010-12)
Top 3: 7 Defar (2005-13), Dibaba (2003-13)
Top Brit: Liz McColgan 2x1, 1x3 (1987-92)
1987 world champion Ingrid Kristiansen was top four times between 1985 and 1989. Paula Radcliffe, Fernando Ribeiro and Tirunesh Dibaba have each been No.1 three times and each has a further two top three places with Radcliffe’s two seconds topping Dibaba’s one and Ribeiro’s none.
But 1988 Olympic champion Olga Bondarenko goes one better in top three's with a total of six - two in each between 1981 and 1987.
Top 1: 4 Ingrid Kristiansen (1985-9)
Top 3: 6 Olga Bondarenko (1981-8)
Top Brit: Paula Radcliffe 3x1, 2x2 (1998-2004)
Norwegians Grete Waitz and Ingrid Kristiansen each have four No.1 rankings - Waitz between 1978 and 1986 and Kristiansen from 1984 to 1989. Waitz also has two seconds and her compatriot a second and a third.
Olympic and world champion Rosa Mota also has six top threes courtesy of one first, three seconds and two thirds between 1984 and 1991.
Top 1: 4 Grete Waitz (1978-86), Ingrid Kristiansen (1984-9)
Top 3: 6 Waitz (1978-86), Rosa Mota (1984-91)
Top Brit: Paula Radcliffe 3x1, 1x3 (2002-05)
Both Gunara Samitova and Milcah Chemos have had three years on top. Chemos also has two seconds for a total of five top threes which is matched by Sofia Assefa who has one second and four thirds in a consecutive five-year period.
Top 1: 3 Gunara Samitova (2003-2008), Milcah Chemos (2010-13)
Top 3: 5 Chemos (2009-13), Sofia Assefa (2011-15)
No Brits in top 3
Grazyna Rabsztyn, who was twice fifth in the Olympics, fared better in world ranking terms with five successive years at No.1 between 1976 and 1980. She also had two years in second but her top three total is bettered by three-time world hurdles champion Gail Devers. The American had five firsts , three seconds and a third between 1991 and 2003.
Top 1: 5 Grazyna Rabsztyn (1976-80), Gail Devers (1993-2003)
Top 3: 9: Devers (1991-2003)
Top Brit: Christine Pereira 1x2 (1968)
Five different world champions have each been No.1 three times: Sally Gunnell, Kim Batten, Yuliya Pechonkina, Lushinda Demus and Dalilah Muhammad.
Demus also had three seconds to head the top three list from Batten who had two seconds.
The 1996 Olympic champion Deon Hemmings only had one year at the top but four years in second for a five year top three run between 1996 and 2000.
Top 1: 3 Sally Gunnell (1992-4). Kim Batten (1995-98), Yuliya Pechonkina (2002-05), Lushinda Demus (2006-11), Dalilah Muhammad (2016-19).
Top 3: 6: Demus (2005-11)
Top Brit: Gunnell 3x1, 1x2 (1991-4)
World record-holder Stefka Kostadinova easily leads the way with nine No.1 rankings between 1985 and 1997. She also had two seconds and a third for 12 top three placings.
Others of special note are Rosemarie Ackermann (five times top between 1974 and 1979), Blanka Vlasic (four times from 2007-2010) and Anna Chicherova (four times between 2011 and 2015).
Top 1: 9 Stefka Kostadinova (1985-97)
Top 3: 12 Kostadinova (1985-97)
No Brits in top 3
This is also dominated by one woman. Nine-time global champion (four indoors) and world record-holder Yelena Isinbayeva headed the rankings eight times with seven in a row between 2003 and 2009. She also had two seconds and a third which gave her eleven successive years in the top three up to 2013.
The 2012 Olympic champion Jenn Suhr was No.1 five times between 2010 and 2017 which was matched by Emma George between 1995 and 1999.
Top 1: 8 Yelena Isinbayeva (2003-12)
Top 3: 11 Isinbayeva (2003-13)
Top Brit: Holly Bradshaw 2x3 (2012-14)
Heike Drechsler had seven years on top but also seven years in second and one year in third to give her 15 years in the top three from 1981 to 1998.
Eight times global champion Brittney Reese had five number one spots between 2009 and 2016 while double Olympic heptathlon champion Jackie Joyner-Kersee had three years on top but also two second and three thirds between 1987 and 1996.
Top 1: 7 Heike Drechsler (1984-95)
Top 3: 15 Drechsler (1981-98)
Top Brit: Lorraine Ugen 1x1 (2018)
Triple world outdoor champion Tatyana Lebedeva was No.1 five times and also had two seconds and a third for a top three total of eight.
The 2016 Olympic champion Caterine Ibarguen betters that though as while she only has three years on top, she has four years in second and two in third for a nine in nine year consecutive run.
Top 1: 5 Tatyana Lebedeva (2000-6)
Top 3: 9 Caterine Ibarguen (2011-19)
Top Brit: Ashia Hansen 1x1, 2x2, 1x3 (1997-2002)
Valerie Adams with 10 global indoor and outdoor titles had eight years at No.1 in the rankings. She also has one second and two thirds for 11 top three placings.
Others to dominate in their era were fellow Olympic champions Nadezhda Chizhova (six at top between 1967 and 1973), Ilona Slupaniek (six at top between 1978 and 1983) and Natalya Lisovskaya (six at top between 1984 and 1991).
Double world champion Gong Lijiao has been top the last four years and also has four seconds and two thirds between 2009 and 2020 for a total of 10.
Top 1: 8 Valerie Adams (2006-14)
Top 3: 11 Adams (2005-16)
No Brits in top 3
Double Olympic champion Sandra Perkovic had six years on top but also has four seconds and a third for 11 top three’s in the last 11 years.
Faina Melnik (five years on top between 1971 and 1976) also had three seconds and two thirds for a total of 10. Ilke Wyludda (1989-1996) and Natalya Sadova (1999-2003) each had four years at No.1.
Top 1: 6 Sandra Perkovic (2012-18)
Top 3: 11 Perkovic (2010-20)
No Brits in top 3
The 2004 Olympic champion Olga Kuzenkova (who served a drugs ban) had nine years heading the lists plus four at second for a successive top three run of 13 years.
World record-holder Anita Wlodarczyk was top eight times between 2009 and 2018.
Top 1: 9 Olga Kuzenkova (1992-2002)
Top 3: 13 Kuzenkova (1992-2004)
No Brits in top 3
Double Olympic champion Ruth Fuchs had seven years at No.1 plus two at second and one at third. Fellow East German and Olympic winner Petra Felke had six years on top between 1984 and 1990.
The double Olympic champion Barbora Spotakova had only five years in first but was backed by four seconds and a third to match Fuchs’ 10 top threes between 2006 and 2017.
The 2000 Olympic champion Trine Hattestad also had five top years and had a second and three thirds between 1991 and 2000.
Top 1: 7 Ruth Fuchs (1972-79)
Top 3: 10 Fuchs (1970-80)
Top Brit: Fatima Whitbread 1x1, 2x2 (1985-87)
World record-holder Joynee-Kersee dominates with eight years at No.1 and she also had a second and a third for 10 years in the top three.
Double world champion Sabine Braun had eight years in the top three but only one season on top between 1990 and 2002.
Top 1: 8 Jackie Joyner-Kersee (1985-93)
Top 3: 10 Joyner-Kersee (1985-98)
Top Brit: Jess Ennis 4x1 (2009-12)
The 2012 Olympic champion Yelana Lashmanova - another to serve a drugs ban - has been No.1 six times between 2012 and 2019.
The double world champion Olimpiada Ivanova matched Lashmanova’s six top threes with three firsts, two seconds and a third over a 13 year-old span.
Top 1: 6 Yelana Lashmanova (2012-19)
Top 3: 6 Lashmanova (2012-19), Olimpiada Ivanova (1993-2005)
No Brits in top 3
East Germany were No.1 for 17 times between 1969 and 1990 and also had five year second for 22 top threes.
Since 1991, USA have dominated and they also have 17 years on top and 17 years in second and five in third for 39 top threes.
Top 1: 17 GDR (1969-90), USA (1968-2017)
Top 3: 39 USA (1967-2018)
Top Brits: 1x1, 8x3 (1969-2019)
Prior to the fall of the wall, East Germany had 17 firsts up to 1990 plus three seconds and a third for 21 top threes.
Again USA were the best thereafter with 16 firsts, 16 seconds and four thirds for 36 in the top three.
Top 1: 17 GDR (1970-1990)
Top 3: 36 USA (1970-2019)
Top Brits: 1x1, 1x2, 10x3 (1969-2017)
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