The Track & Field News No.3 spots for Philip Milanov and Virginia Nyambura are the highest world rankings earned so far for either athlete, with Milanov’s previous best being the no. 9 ranking received for the 2014 season, while Nyambura’s ranking was her first ever.
Milanov’s 2015 season had numerous highlights, including the improvement of his own national record of 66.02m (established in 2014) on three separate occasions – 66.43m (Kessel-Lo), 66.66m (Leuven), and ultimately 66.90m, to capture the silver medal at the IAAF World Championships in Beijing. Milanov also scored IAAF Diamond League points in London (1st) and Stockholm (2nd), to finish 3rd in the final 2015 Diamond League Discus points standings.
There were many top moments to Nyambura’s season, too, arguably highlighted by her world best mark of 6:02.16 in the 2000m Steeplechase at the ISTAF Berlin meeting. Nyambura preceded that record performance with five top-3 IAAF Diamond League finishes in the 3000m Steeplechase, including victories in Doha, Birmingham, and Lausanne, allowing her to clinch the ’15 Diamond League points title in the event (15 points), in a tight race with ’15 IAAF World Champion Hyvin Jepkemoi (13 points). Finally, Nyambura’s career-best steeple mark of 9:13.85 established with her 3rd place finish at Diamond League Monaco, made her the event’s no. 7 performer on the Kenya all-time listing.
Other Personae-managed athletes earning Top-10 world rankings for the ’15 season included Paul Kipsiele Koech (No. 5 – 3000m SC), Gesa Krause (No. 6 – 3000m SC), Ferguson Rotich Cheruiyot (No. 6 – 800m), Alice Aprot Nawowuna (No. 7 – 10000m), Lidya Chepkurui (No. 8 – 3000m SC), Purity Kirui (No. 9 – 3000m SC), Eunice Kirwa Jepkirui (No. 9 – Marathon), Hillary Yego (No. 9 – 3000m SC), and Betsy Saina (No. 10 – 10000m).
The total of 11 world-ranked athletes is the all-time best for the Personae team, surpassing the previous high of 10 ranked athletes in both ’12 and ’14. Having four ranked athletes in the same event – women’s steeple – is also an all-time best for the Personae group.
A 33-member international panel of track & field experts generate these annual rankings, emphasizing honors won, head-to-head records between athletes, and sequence of marks. The complete rankings will be published in the February-2016 issue of the magazine. They can also be viewed at www.trackandfieldnews.com.
The Track & Field News 2015 world rankings for events that included Personae-managed athletes (in bold):
Men’s 800 m:
1. David Rudisha (Kenya)
2. Nijel Amos (Botswana)
3. Adam Kszczot (Poland)
4. Amel Tuka (Bosnia)
5. Ayanleh Souleiman (Djibouti)
6. Ferguson Cheruiyot (Kenya)
7. Mohamed Aman (Ethiopia)
8. Taoufik Maklhoufi (Algeria)
9. Marcin Lewandowski (Poland)
10. Pierre-Ambroise Bosse (France)
Men’s 3000 m SC:
1. Jairus Birech (Kenya)
2. Ezekiel Kemboi (Kenya)
3. Conseslus Kipruto (Kenya)
4. Evan Jager (US)
5. Paul Koech (Kenya)
6. Brimin Kipruto (Kenya)
7. Jonathan Ndiku (Kenya)
8. Clement Kemboi (Kenya)
9. Hillary Yego (Kenya)
10. Dan Huling (US)
Men’s Discus:
1. Piotr Małachowski (Poland)
2. Robert Urbanek (Poland)
3. Philip Milanov (Belgium)
4. Gerd Kanter (Estonia)
5. Christoph Harting (Germany)
6. Vikas Gowda (India)
7. Apostolos Parellis (Cyprus)
8. Daniel Ståhl (Sweden)
9. Benn Harradine (Australia)
10. Zoltán Kővágó (Hungary)
Women’s 3000 m SC:
1. Habiba Ghribi (Tunisia)
2. Hyvin Jepkemoi (Kenya)
3. Virginia Nyambura (Kenya)
4. Sofia Assefa (Ethiopia)
5. Hiwot Ayalew (Ethiopia)
6. Gesa-Felicitas Krause (Germany)
7. Emma Coburn (US)
8. Lydia Chepkurui (Kenya)
9. Purity Kirui (Kenya)
10. Stephanie Garcia (US)
Women’s 10000 m:
1. Vivian Cheruiyot (Kenya)
2. Gelete Burka (Ethiopia)
3. Molly Huddle (US)
4. Emily Infeld (US)
5. Sally Kipyego (Kenya)
6. Shalane Flanagan (US)
7. Alice Nawowuna (Kenya)
8. Gladys Chesire (Kenya)
9. Alemitu Haroye (Ethiopia)
10. Betsy Saina (Kenya)
Women’s Marathon:
1. Mare Dibaba (Ethiopia)
2. Mary Keitany (Kenya)
3. Aselefech Mergia (Ethiopia)
4. Gladys Cherono (Kenya)
5. Tigist Tufa (Ethiopia)
6. Florence Kiplagat (Kenya)
7. Caroline Rotich (Kenya)
8. Birhane Dibaba (Ethiopia)
9. Eunice Kirwa Jepkirui (Bahrain)
10. Helah Kiprop (Kenya)