Posted: August 23, 2005

Athletics: Campbell Takes Over At 100M But Loses Out At 200M In The Latest IAAF World Rankings

Monte Carlo – Jamaican Veronica Campbell not only ended Christine Arron’s TDK Golden League Jackpot hopes for the season, but also dethroned the French athlete from the top of the Women’s 100m Event Ranking last week. Campbell rose from 3rd place to first after winning in Zürich last Friday in 10.85 (1392 points), while Arron slipped to second with newly crowned World champion Lauryn Williams (USA) also losing one place to go third.

Reigning Olympic 100m champion Yuliya Nesterenko of Belarus re-entered the Event Ranking in 11th place after running in two meets in three days. Nesterenko finished 5th in Zürich with 11.08 (1291 points), before placing 2nd in Sheffield with 11.09 (1287 points), although the latter performance was wind-aided (+2.4m/s).

In the Women’s 200m Event Ranking, the story is quite the opposite. Campbell, the reigning Olympic champion lost her leading position to World champion Allyson Felix (USA). Felix comfortably won in Sheffield in 22.54 (1325 points) and swapped places with Campbell to take the Ranking lead. Campbell’s compatriot, Aleen Bailey, re-entered the 200m Event Ranking in 13th place after placing 7th in Sheffield with 23.29 (1197 points).

There are two other women who are Event Ranking leaders this week. In the 800m Cuban World champion Zulia Calatayud, and in the Triple Jump Russia’s Tatyana Lebedeva, won at the TDK Golden League in Zürich. In both cases they beat the athletes who they also overtook in the Event Rankings.

Calatayud’s 1:59.16 (1338 points) run outpaced and then helped her to replace Morocco’s Hasna Benhassi at the top of the 800m Ranking, while Lebedeva’s fifth round jump of 14.94m (1370 points) sealed her win over World champion Trecia Smith of Jamaica and also replaced her as the number one triple jumper in the Event Ranking. The Russian’s victory also allowed her to remain in the hunt for the one million dollars TDK Golden League Jackpot.

In the men’s sprints, double World champion Justin Gatlin has improved in both of his events, closing the gap between himself and World record holder Asafa Powell to only 2 points in the 100m Event Ranking after winning in Zürich with 10.14 (1344 points). Gatlin also moved up to 2nd in the 200m Event Ranking replacing his compatriot Tyson Gay after winning in Sheffield with 20.04 (1354 points).

Complete world rankings are available from IAAF.