Amusan moves to fifth in World Athletics weekly ranking

Reigning World 100m hurdles champion and record holder, Tobi Amusan has moved a step up to fifth in the latest weekly world ranking released by World Athletics.

The 25 year old was ranked the sixth best athlete in the world in the women’s category a forthnight ago and retained that sixth place last week.

The reigning Commonwealth Games champion and record holder has however moved a step up to fifth after she successfully defended her Diamond League Trophy at the Diamond League Final on September 7 in Zurich.

Amusan (1489 points) is now ranked as the fifth best athlete in the world behind the Jamaican sprint duo of Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pyrce (1534 points) and Shericka Jackson (1526 points), world triple jump champion and record holder, Yulimar Rojas (1517 points) of Venezuela and American 400m barrier runner, Sydney Mclaughlin (1490) who is also the reigning world champion and record holder in the event.

The Nigerian has had a remarkable performance on the track this year and moved from 21st in the world and second in the high hurdles behind reigning Olympic champion, Puerto Rico’s Jasmine Camacho-Quinn in early July and just before the World Athletics Championships to sixth in the world and first in her event after setting the world record on her way to winning the title in Oregon.

Amusan started her rollercoaster year by successfully defending her African Championships title in Mauritius.

She followed it up by setting a new 12.41 seconds African record at the Paris Diamond League meeting before smashing the 12.63 seconds Nigerian Championships record when she ran 12.54 seconds to retain her national title.

The 2019 African Games champion and record holder then made history at the World Athletics Championships in Oregon, USA where she became the first Nigerian to set a World record and the first to be crowned a world champion.

She later moved to Birmingham to also made history as the first Nigerian track and field star to successfully defend a Commonwealth Games title. This she did in record breaking fashion, running 12.30 seconds to break the 12.65 seconds record set 16 years earlier in Melbourne, Australia.

Amusan ended a very successful season the way she started as she successfully defended the Diamond League trophy she won in a historic, African record-setting manner last year in Zurich.

Meanwhile, long jumper Ese Brume is ranked the 61st best in the world after winning silver medals a World Indoor Championships in Serbia and the outdoor version in Oregon this year.

The 26 year old is however ranked the third best in the long jump event behind reigning World and Olympic champion, Malaika Mihambo of Germany and World Indoor champion, Ivan Vuleta of Serbia.