Statistician Peter Matthews’ assessment of athletics form and achievements

These merit rankings of British athletes (of which this is the 52nd successive year) are an assessment of form and achievements during the 2019 outdoor season.

The major factors by which the rankings are determined are win-loss record, performances in major meetings and sequence of marks. Both indoor and outdoor results are considered.

This year the major targets for top athletes were the World Championships and for younger athletes the European U20 and U23 Championships.

Below you will find the top three in each men’s event. The full British top-12 lists for every event (except in those events where there were insufficient British athletes producing adequate performances), including the details of athletes’ seasons and a more detailed explanation, are featured in our December 19 end-of-year review special issue, which is available to buy and read digitally here or order in print here.

The top three in the UK women’s rankings and international rankings are to follow.

100m
1 Zharnel Hughes
2 Adam Gemili
3 Ojie Edoburun

Hughes, with four sub-10 times and a place in the world final, retains his top ranking.

200m
1 Adam Gemili
2 Zharnel Hughes
3 Miguel Francis

Although disappointed not to have broken 20 seconds, Gemili returns to the top ranking he had in 2012-14 and 2016.

400m

1 Rabah Yousif
2 Matthew Hudson-Smith
3 Cameron Chalmers

This was a modest year for UK 400m running with Hudson-Smith our fastest for the fourth successive year, but able to compete only rarely. Yousif is top, as he was in 2015.

800m
1 Jamie Webb
2 Elliot Giles
3 Kyle Langford

After a previous high of fourth in 2016 Webb heads a closely-matched group for top ranking with Giles second for the fourth successive year.

1500m – 1 mile
1 Jake Wightman
2 Josh Kerr
3 Neil Gourley

Fourth-ranked Charlie Da’Vall Grice ran a faster time (at Monaco) than the three Scots, who excelled to make the world final and they are ranked in their finishing order there.

5000m
1 Andrew Butchart
2 Ben Connor
3 Marc Scott

Butchart returned to be top ranked for the first time.

10,000m
1 Ben Connor
2 Marc Scott
3 Nick Goolab

Scott and Connor broke 28 minutes, but while Scott had marginally the fastest time, Connor takes top ranking by dint of his UK title.

10 miles – half-marathon
1 Mohamed Farah
2 Callum Hawkins
3 Dewi Griffiths

Farah won the Great North Run for the sixth successive year and is top for the ninth year at these distances.

Marathon
1 Mohamed Farah
2 Callum Hawkins
3 Dewi Griffiths

This was an excellent year for British marathon running as 10th and 50th marks were 2:14:38 and 2:23:30.

3000m steeplechase
1 Zak Seddon
2 Phil Norman
3 Jamaine Coleman

Seddon remained easily Britain’s No.1

110m hurdles

1 Andrew Pozzi
2 David King
3 Cameron Fillery

Pozzi is top for the fourth successive year.

400m hurdles

1 Chris McAlister
2 Dai Greene
3 Jacob Paul

McAlister leaps up from seventh to top ranking and had 10 times inside his pre-season best of 50.36.

High jump

1 Chris Baker
2 Tom Gale
3 Allan Smith

Baker and Gale were closely matched. Indoors Baker beat Gale 2-0, but outdoors they were 2-2.

Pole vault

1 Harry Coppell
2 Charlie Myers
3 Adam Hague

Myers and Coppell each cleared 5.71m and each won a UK title.

Long jump
1 Jacob Fincham-Dukes
2 Daniel Bramble
3 Timothy Duckworth

Fincham-Dukes had an excellent year in the USA and held his form reasonably back home to take a narrow top ranking.

Triple jump
1 Ben Williams
2 Nathan Douglas
3 Julian Reid

Williams returns to the top ranking that he had in 2017.

Shot
1 Scott Lincoln
2 Youcef Zatat
3 Samuel Heawood

Lincoln is top for the fifth year.

Discus

1 Nicholas Percy
2 Gregory Thompson
3 Zane Duquemin

Thompson had easily the best throw of the year. His distances fell away at the end of a busy year and he was beaten 3-1 by Percy.

Hammer

1 Nick Miller
2 Taylor Campbell
3 Osian Jones

Miller was quite unlucky at the Worlds, but maintained his position at world-class level and so is UK No.1 for the fifth time.

Javelin
1 Harry Hughes
2 Gavin Johnson-Assoon
3 Joe Dunderdale

After a year out Hughes returned to be clearly Britain’s best at this event.

Decathlon
1 Timothy Duckworth
2 John Lane
3 Andrew Murphy

Duckworth retains his top ranking although injury prevented him competing at the Worlds.

20km walk

1 Tom Bosworth
2 Callum Wilkinson
3 Cameron Corbishley

Bosworth is top for the seventh time.

50km walk
1 Cameron Corbishley
2 Dominic King

Corbishley takes over top ranking from Dominic King.