Posted: April 5, 2005

Athletics: Baldini Takes Over Road Running Lead In The Latest IAAF World Rankings

Monte-Carlo – The reigning Olympic Marathon champion Stefano Baldini of Italy has risen to first place in the Men’s Road Running – Marathon Event category - in the latest IAAF World Rankings.

Baldini has not competed since the Rankings were last published but the previous leader, Felix Limo of Kenya dropped to 12th place due to the 365-day-rule, as his victory from last year’s Rotterdam Marathon is now too old to be included in the calculation.

Reigning World Marathon Champion Jaouad Gharib of Morocco fell 8 places to 13th in the same Event category, as his fourth place at last year’s Lisbon Half Marathon expired. Kenya’s Wilson Kiprotich Kebenei is also a few places lower after his fourth place finish in last year’s Stramilano Half Marathon also lapsed, leaving the 24-year-old to drop 3 spots to ninth.

While Limo, Gharib and Kebenei are on the fall this week, several roadrunners improved on their Rankings positions. Kenya’s Daniel Cheribo climbed 4 places to 6th after a sprint finish win 1:02:13 (1210 points) at the Prato Half Marathon in Italy. At the Berlin Half Marathon, the highest category race of the past two weeks, another Kenyan, Joseph Ngolepus finished second with 1:01:16 (1279 points) rising a massive 36 places to 23rd in the Event Ranking.

While Felix Sánchez of the Dominican Republic has not competed recently, the World and Olympic champion 400m hurdler still managed to set a new record this week. Sánchez has now been ranked number one in the Men’s 400m Hurdles Event Ranking for 191 consecutive weeks, which eclipses Hicham El Guerouj’s record for the longest reign. The Moroccan was top of the 1500m Event Ranking for 190 weeks but lost that position last August.

Spain’s reigning Olympic and World Championship silver medallist race walker, Francisco Javier Fernández, climbed into second place in the Event Rankings. Fernández returned to 20km competition following an 8 week rest, comfortably winning the Rio Maior IAAF World Race Walking Challenge with 1:19:02 (1291 points) and so rising 4 places in the Event Ranking.

For more information IAAF.org.