Posted: August 2, 2005

Athletics: Arron, Glover And Makarov Rise To Number One In IAAF Event Rankings

Monte Carlo - With only days to go before the start of the 10th IAAF World Championships in Athletics, Helsinki, Christine Arron, Sandra Cummings-Glover and Sergey Makarov have made the perfect preparations for the biggest competition of the year, by rising to number one in their respective Event Rankings.

European 100m record holder Christine Arron of France comfortably won the 3rd Golden League meeting of the season; the Oslo Exxon Mobil Bislett Games with 11.06 (1356 points) to keep alive her TDK Golden League Jackpot dreams. Previous Event Rankings leader Veronica Campbell of Jamaica dropped ten points this week as her result from last year’s Crystal Palace Norwich Union Grand Prix turned a year old, thereby allowing Arron to leapfrog both her and Lauryn Williams of the United States into first place.

Sandra Cummings-Glover is the new leader of the Women’s 400m Hurdles Event Rankings. The 36-year-old also won in Oslo by setting a season’s best and the 4th fastest time in the world this year with 53.93 (1376 points) to overtake Tetyana Tereshchuk-Antipova of Ukraine.

Cummings-Glover also improved on her Women’s Overall Rankings position and stepped up four places to 16th, while US champion Lashinda Demus moved up to 3rd in the Event Rankings overtaking defending World champion Jana Pittman after she finished 3rd in Oslo with 54.59 (1316 points).

Defending Javelin Throw World champion Sergey Makarov of Russia is the new Event Rankings leader. The 32-year-old finished only second in Olso with 87.76m (1334 points) but that was enough to lift him over previous leader and reigning Olympic champion Andreas Thorkildsen of Norway.

The winner in Oslo, Tero Pitkamaki of Finland, threw 90.54m (1400 points) and considerably strengthened his 3rd place in the Event Rankings. In fact, at the head of the Men’s Javelin Throw Event Rankings, the top three athletes are separated by only 7 points ahead of the World Championships starting later this week.

Because of the World Championships, the next edition of the Men’s and Women’s Overall Rankings will only be published on 16 August, while the Event Rankings will keep their weekly schedule.

Also, results from the 2004 Athens Olympics will no longer count towards the World Rankings calculations from next week, as OW and GW category meets may only be included until next year’s similar type competition begins.

Please click here for the latest IAAF World Rankings: IAAF.org.