Rankings round-up - indoor season

Just thought I'd highlight/comment where certain athletes have got to in the rankings thanks to their performances in Birmingham and Stockholm in the past few days:

Men's

400m

Nigel Levine 46.17 @ Birmingham - 5th in the IAAF rankings
Richard Strachan 46.35 @ Birmingham - 11th in the IAAF rankings
Nick Leavey 46.49 @ Birmingham - 15th in the IAAF rankings
Richard Buck 46.77 @ Birmingham - 29th in the IAAF rankings
Luke Lennon-Ford 46.89 @ Birmingham - 38th in the IAAF rankings
Jack Green 46.91 @ Birmingham - 41st in the IAAF rankings

I've been really encouraged by Levine's performances and attitude in the indoor season, he doesn't like losing and has high expectations for himself. I see him as part of a batch of talented quarter-milers that emerged a few years ago that had the potential to challenge for the UK No. 1 spot. His contemporaries that also performed well in the junior ranks are Chris Clarke and Louis Persent. So far they haven't broken through at senior level - not altogether surprising as 400m runners are particularly injury-prone. Fitness-permitting one would hope that Levine will be running close to 45 secs in the summer. I always thought Clarke was the most likely of the three, so it will be interesting to see how he responds to the good form of his teammates. The other noteworthy performance in this list is Jack Green, who had an indoor best of 48 secs last season. Looking at the rankings as a whole the French and British 400m squads are pretty well matched at this event and it's too close to call with regard to the individual and relay events at the Euro indoors. I'd like to think that we'll see a higher standard domestically over the summer, however, and that it will take under 45 secs to get selection for Deagu.

800m

Andrew Osagie 1:46.59 @ Stockholm - 10th in the IAAF rankings
Mukhtar Mohammed 1:48.90 @ Stockholm - 57th in the IAAF rankings

While slightly less advanced in the World or European rankings (Osagie is ranked 6th in Europe), both these performances are breakthroughs for these athletes. It will be particularly interesting to see how Osagie goes at the Euro champs, a good friend of James Brewer, he's always lived slightly in his shadow. In the absence of Brewer and Michael Rimmer, it's an opportunity for Osagie to be our spearhead in this event. I think the Euros will be particularly tough for 800m runners as six of the world's top 10 are European, so I'm not sure what to expect, but with the high level of competition I hope Osagie and Joe Thomas to come close to their PBs at least.

60m Hurdles

Andrew Turner 7.57 @ Birmingham - equal 9th in the IAAF rankings
Lawrence Clarke 7.69 @ Birmingham - equal 31st in the IAAF rankings

Both consistent hurdlers, Turner is close to his all-time best of 7.55. On the basis of his preparation you'd have to say Turner is a medal contender. What's in his favour is that he's pretty experienced now and he's beaten everyone ranked ahead of him. Lawrence Clarke keeps chipping away at his PB much like a pole vaulter setting records. His small incremental leaps have taken him to 12th in the UK all-time list, however. While a way down on the global list, there's no one younger ahead of him, which augurs well for the future.

Women's

800m

Jenny Meadows 1:59.22 @ Birmingham - 1st in the IAAF rankings

I'm a little surprised people haven't made more of this world lead - perhaps a mark of how far our 800m girls have come. The Euros are shaping up to be pretty much Meadows vs Russia. Seven out of the world's top 10 women 800m runners are Russian at the moment. This could lead to team tactics to stop Meadows but she's strong enough and quick enough to have a few different game plans and render that irrelevant (I hope).

1500m

Helen Clitheroe 4:06.86 @ Stockholm - 7th in the IAAF rankings
Hannah England 4:07.13 @ Stockholm - 10th in the IAAF rankings
Stacey Smith 4:07.42 @ Birmingham - 11th in the IAAF rankings

A pretty impressing showing in the IAAF lists if you consider it doesn't include Steph Twell or Lisa Dobriskey. It's so gratifying to see Helen Clitheroe doing so well right now, I think this is because she's in good shape and she is still really enjoying athletics and has the desire to compete. There's been a relative dearth of high quality 5000m runners since Paula stopped doing it, maybe she'll take that up in the summer? Hannah England's previous indoor best is 4:09 so it's good to see her step forward. England hit 4:04 in 2010 and 2009 outdoors, hopefully she can now kick on closer to 4 minutes. I believe Stacey Smith was earmarked by Athletics Weekly as a rising star at the start of the year. She ran 4:10 dead at the end of the last summer season and had a best of 4:17 in 2009, so her rate of progress is still significant.

I know this list is by no means exhaustive, feel free to discuss/embellish it as highly ranked Brit performances continue throughout the indoor season . . .

Excellent stuff. At the risk of sounding unecessarily pedantic some of those rankings might be a little out of date. Isabre for example has told us of Russian ladies who are currently at the top of the world rankings, not Jenny.

Quote:

"Top of the bill was the women's 800m where Yuliya Rusanova stormed to victory in a huge world-leading, doubling as a PB, 1:58.14 to draw runner-up Yevgeniya Zinurova and third-placed Yelena Arzakova inside 2 mins as well, setting 1:58.83 and 1:59.35 respectively."


Some positive stuff none the less.

Jenny Meadows will struggle against the Russians, however she is a fighter and will try her hardest and push them all the way

Thanks for that Teassoc - you are right to highlight those performances, which happened at the Russian National Championships a few days before Jenny's run. What I would say, however is that the IAAF is very quick to update its ranking lists (often quicker than the PoT website) and those times are yet to be listed on its website. I can only think this is because they are yet to be ratified. Until they appear there I'd consider Jenny to be 'officially' the No. 1 ranked athlete. Hopefully this will become academic when she burns off the rest of the field on her way to a 1:56 clocking in the final :606laugh:

Excellent post and topic as your previous one East End Bodybuilder, I'm sorry I haven't had enough time to contribute to it more as the action has been coming thick and fast over the last few weeks!

To help you out with your surveys over rising British middle distance runners in terms of global rankings, try this one:
http://www.tilastopaja.org/db/toplist.php?list=top&All=0&Ind=1&top=20&Season=2011

These are arguably the most reliable global rankings around and updated at a very fast rate.

I'd like to pick up Andie Osagie among people you've referred to and say how pleased I've been with his progress in almost every department this season. He's so more confident and composed, tactically sound and so smooth in his moves through the field - you don't see him get panicked or rush into anything.

You can also read a definitely sounder aerobical platform into his running and I reckon that is a substantial gain out of training alongside James Brewer and Colin McCourt this season. The way he tackles a much faster pace in races says it all.

I feel that Andie has got a very good chance of medalling in Paris, commanding a powerful finishing kick as well, as I haven't seen anyone round Europe that looks untouchable this term. Which, in turn, would shape the springboard for even greater things on the international stage in summer, where I definitely believe that he can draw under 1:45.

A little note on James Brewer. This guy has got all the qualities and traits to become a real great in the middle distances. He's got plenty of speed in his legs, he's got strength and he's a superb tactician.

He was unlucky that his American 'venture' didn't pay off and has had to start building up from virtually scratch again. Yet, he's got a sound base and he won't take long to catch up with the others.

I guess Craig Winrow, his coach, might like to ease him back into the thick of the action, thus keeping him off the indoor season, so I'll be looking to seeing him on the circuit in summer. All he needs is get on lengthy healthy spells of training/racing and the rest will fall in place.