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  • Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

    PRESS RELEASE
    International Association of Athletics Federations




    Association Internationale des Fédérations d’Athlétisme




    SIX NEW EVENT LEADERS IN THE LATEST IAAF WORLD RANKINGS

    15 July 2003


    Monte-Carlo - Six athletes took over as new Event Ranking leaders and another previously tied leader broke away of her opponent to lead her event outright, with just five weeks to go before the World Championships in Paris next month.

    The athlete who had the most places to climb to take his leading position this week was Ethiopian sensation Kenenisa Bekele who has not finished lower than second in any competition he has entered this year. Last week was no different for the 21-year-old, as he ran 12:57.34 (1381 points Performance Score) for the 5000m behind Kenyan Abraham Chebii at the Rome Golden Gala. Bekele not only jumped from fourth into first place in the Event Ranking, but he also rocketed through the Overall Rankings from 32nd into 7th position.

    American distance runner Suzy Favor-Hamilton did not manage to finish as high up as Bekele did, but third place in Rome was just enough for the 1500m runner. Clocking 4:01.69 (1322 points Performance Score) allowed the 34-year-old to take the lead in her Event Ranking, rising from her previous third place to overtake compatriot Regina Jacobs, and Alesya Turova of Belarus at the head of the Event Ranking. Favor-Hamilton also improved significantly on her position in the Overall Rankings, moving up seven places to 21st.

    Before this season, Yamile Aldama had a personal best of 14.77 metres. It has all changed quickly, as the Cuban triple jumper has so far set five new personal bests this year improving the Area Record each and every time, to a stunning best of 15.29m (1428 points Performance Score) when she won at last week in Rome. Therefore, Aldama broke away from her tied first place with Francoise Mbango Etone and is now more than thirty points clear of her Cameroonian rival. The 30-year-old also stepped up in the Overall Ranking, entering the Top-10 for the first time in her career in 7th place, up from last week’s position in 14th.

    While early season form indicated that it might be a year when Ionela Tirlea of Romania and Jana Pittman of Australia would be fighting for supremacy in the Women’s 400m Hurdles Event Ranking, US hurdler Sandra Cummings-Glover slipped through and is now tied for first with Tirlea. The 34-year-old ran a season’s best of 54.15 (1336 points Performance Score) to finish third in Rome ahead of the Romanian’s fourth place finish resulting in a tie for first place in the Event Ranking. The race winner from Rome – Pittman with a world leading time of 53.62seconds (1391 points Performance Score) improved her average by 23 points but remains in third position.



    For more comments and the full rankings at: www.iaaf.org/worldrankings/index.htmx <http://www.iaaf.org/worldrankings/index.htmx>




    SIX NOUVEAUX ATHLETES A L’HONNEUR CETTE SEMAINE
    AUX CLASSEMENTS PAR DISCIPLINE


    15 juillet 2003


    Monte Carlo - A tout juste cinq semaines du début des Championnats du Monde, à Paris, le mois prochain, six nouveaux athlètes ont pris le relais à la tête des classements par discipline et une athlète s’est dégagée de la compagnie de son adversaire pour occuper seule la place d’honneur cette semaine.

    C’est Kenenisa Bekele dont la progression est la plus impressionnante au classement. Il n’a jamais terminé une compétition au delà de la deuxième place cette année. La semaine dernière n’a pas démenti à la règle et le jeune Ethiopien de 21ans a couru le 5000m en 12’57’’34 (1381 points performance) derrière le Kenyan, Abraham Chebii, lors du Golden Gala à Rome. Bekele est passé de la 4ème à la 1ère place au classement de l’épreuve mais surtout il s’est propulsé de la 32ème à la 7ème place au Classement Général.

    La coureuse de fond américaine, Suzy Favor-Hamilton n’a pas réussi à égaler la performance de Bekele, mais une troisième place à Rome, avec un chrono de 4’01’’69 (soit 1322 points performance) s’est révélée suffisante pour s’emparer de la tête du classement du 1500m. 3ème la semaine dernière, elle dépasse aujourd'hui sa compatriote Regina Jacobs et ravit la première place à la Biélorusse, Alesya Turova. Favor-Hamilton améliore de manière significative sa position au Classement Général où elle est 21ème, soit un gain de 7 places.

    Avant le début de la saison, la meilleure performance de Yamile Aldama était de 14,77m. Cette donnée a rapidement évolué car la spécialiste cubaine du triple saut a établi 5 meilleures performances cette année, améliorant à chaque fois le record continental. Elle a remporté le concours de Rome, la semaine dernière, grâce à un saut magnifique de 15,29m (1428 points performance.) Du coup, Aldama conserve pour elle seule la 1ère place qu’elle partageait avec Francoise Mbango Etone. Elle a maintenant plus de 30 points d’avance sur sa rivale camerounaise. Agée de 30 ans, Yamile Aldama fait, pour la première fois de sa carrière, une entrée dans le top 10 du Classement Général, où elle figure en 7ème position, contre une14ème place la semaine dernière.

    Tandis qu’en début de saison, on envisageait plutôt une lutte pour la suprématie entre la Roumaine, Ionela Tirlea et l’Australienne, Jana Pittman, dans le 400m haies féminin, la surprise est venue de Sandra Cummings-Glover. L’Américaine (34 ans) a couru son meilleur temps de la saison : 54’’15 (1336 points performance) et terminé 3ème du Golden Gala, juste devant la Roumaine. En conséquence Cummings-Glover se retrouve 1ère ex-aequo avec Tirlea. Pittman a remporté la compétition romaine avec le meilleur temps de l’année, 53’’62 (1391 points performance) mais malgré une amélioration de 23 points, elle reste 3ème du classement par discipline.


    Consultez la totalité du Classement sur http://www.iaaf.org/worldrankings/index.htmx <http://www.iaaf.org/worldrankings/index.htmx>

  • #2
    Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

    And I'm a Smurf!

    She's won how many races this outdoor season?

    Wonder if she has to run any races between now and the end of the season to have enough points to get into the GP Final (errr whatever it's called now).

    Comment


    • #3
      Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

      The concept is laudable, but if this doesn't show the IAAF that the mechanism is broken, nothing will. I would like the idea of T&FN-type rankings DURING the season, sort of like an evolving WC form chart. That would make the season much more enjoyable, because someone's rank will be at stake at every big meet. "Fred is currently #3 in the world, but a win here would catapult him into the top spot." That would generate heat in the season. The means to rank them would be very subjective, but even that would make for more interest. As it stands now, the IAAF's solution is merely laughable, so that NO ONE pays attention.

      Comment


      • #4
        Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

        This is a really long post.

        Comment


        • #5
          Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

          >This is a really long post.<

          If you read just the English part, it's only half as long.

          Comment


          • #6
            Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

            I think it's great to see Suzy running well again. However Suzy has recently been very vocal about Regina Jacob's race tactics. Suzy needs to just run and stop talking about sit and kick tactics.I know there is not alot of love lost between them, but every runner has their specific strategy and the best runners usually win. Suzy needs to just concentrate on running and not let what everyone else is doing affect her running.I am happy that she is injury free for the first time in a while.

            Comment


            • #7
              Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

              SFH as #1 makes these rankings as laughable as the FIFA soccer ones.

              Comment


              • #8
                Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

                Who should be number 1?

                Comment


                • #9
                  Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

                  Great going Suzy!!

                  Maybe you can run on the US mens' 1500 squad and improve things.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

                    >Who should be number 1?>>

                    How could it be anybody but Süreyya Ayhan, last year's clear No. 1? She's only No. 4 even though her series of marks in the last year (the period the IAAF uses) is far and away the best going, and she's undefeated (2-0 over SFH in that time period).

                    Last year's rules would have made her No. 1, but IAAF decided that you have to count 6 races instead of 5. So that means that her sixth race is a heat of the European Champs, and even though it's a 4:04, it gets almost no points becuase marks made in heats only get partial value.

                    If the IAAF has any hopes at all that people will come to use this system as an accurate guide to real form, they've got to mend their ways, as I so often rant.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

                      Last year's rules would have made her
                      >No. 1, but IAAF decided that you have to count 6
                      >races instead of 5. So that means that her sixth
                      >race is a heat of the European Champs, and even
                      >though it's a 4:04, it gets almost no points
                      >becuase marks made in heats only get partial
                      >value.

                      Here is the point at which I would give the IAAF some slack. TFN rankings have and will always be about who had the best season in the rankers opinion period.!. On the other hand I believe the IAAF is not only in the business of deciding who has had the best season but also encouraging behavior they consider good for the sport. Chief among those behavior is competing often. I absolutely agree with this!!!! When someone like Carl Lewis used to get ranked at or near the top with a season or 3 or 4 long jump competitions or 3 or 4 200 meter races, I always thought to myself, that is not a season!!!!!! If the IAAF would put some head to head records logic into there rankings I for one could handle the at least 6 races to be considered criteria.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

                        >The concept is laudable, but if this doesn't show
                        >the IAAF that the mechanism is broken, nothing
                        >will. I would like the idea of T&FN-type rankings
                        >DURING the season, sort of like an evolving WC
                        >form chart.

                        The first T&FN rankings were 20-deep, and they promised an every-month update. Still waiting!

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

                          >On the other
                          >hand I believe the IAAF is not only in the
                          >business of deciding who has had the best season
                          >but also encouraging behavior they consider good
                          >for the sport. Chief among those behavior is
                          >competing often.

                          That lets out people like Sebastian Coe in 1979: a handful of races and three world records against top fields. But Steve Scott and John Walker (the circut racing fixtures) would have been ahead of him by this criteria.

                          "Encouraging good behavior"...this reminds me of the cartoon in T&FN a few years back of the hurdler a flight behind the rest of the field thinking "My form is perfect." The caption was "Classic Form Track Club."

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

                            Ok lets look at this scenario. Tiger Woods and Serena Williams both decide next year to only participate in two events a piece, Tiger chooses and win's the Masters and the US Open. Serena chooses and win's Wimbledon and the US Open. Both are still widely regarded as the best at there sport in the world, but I am guessing that neither one of them would "rank" (using the systems in place in golf or tennis) as the top in the world for the year. My contention is there is nothing wrong with this. Let TFN do things there way and the IAAF do things there way. I admit currently there are probably more flaws in the IAAF system than in TFN but requiring at least 6 competitions in most events IMHO is not one of them.

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Re: Suzy Now IAAF's No. 1 (!)

                              Decathletes and 10K (not to mention marathon) athletes don't need 6 competitions, so why should anyone else. Just because athletes CAN compete 6+ times doesn't mean they should, or that we should 'punish' them if they don't. The IAAF protocol doesn't pass the common sense test, so it should be scrapped or revamped. Pro athletes are looking to maximize their income, so they don't take or avoid a meet for any reason but that.

                              Comment

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