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 women’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 men’s rankings can be found here, while international rankings are to follow.

100m
1 Dina Asher-Smith
2 Daryll Neita
3 Asha Philip

Asher-Smith is top ranked for the fifth time.

200m
1 Dina Asher-Smith
2 Jodie Williams
3 Beth Dobbin

With similar domination at 200m as at 100m, Asher-Smith has 17 of the top 25 all-time UK performances (to 22.44). She has now been top ranked five times.

400m

1 Laviai Nielsen
2 Emily Diamond
3 Jodie Williams

Nielsen steps up a place to take the top ranking, taking 0.38 off her PB.

800m
1 Laura Muir
2 Shelayna Oskan-Clarke
3 Lynsey Sharp

The year’s two fastest times came in Monaco from Muir and Sharp. Although Muir had only three 800m races she did perhaps enough for top ranking.

1500m 
1 Laura Muir
2 Laura Weightman
3 Eilish McColgan

After missing a couple of months through injury, Muir ran brilliantly for fifth in Doha. She is top for the fifth successive year.

5000m
1 Laura Weightman
2 Eilish McColgan
3 Jessica Judd

Their fine World Champs runs took Weightman to third and McColgan to fourth on the UK all-time list.

10,000m
1 Stephanie Twell
2 Eilish McColgan
3 Alice Wright

Twell and McColgan went to sixth and seventh on the UK all-time list.

(10 miles – 20km) – half-marathon
1 Charlotte Purdue
2 Eilish McColgan
3 Stephanie Twell

Purdue retained her top ranking and improved her PB by over two minutes.

Marathon
1 Charlotte Purdue
2 Jessica Piasecki
3 Stephanie Twell

Piasecki, Purdue and Twell moved up to third, fourth and sixth on the UK all-time list.

2000m and 3000m steeplechase
1 Elizabeth Bird
2 Rosie Clarke
3 Aimee Pratt

Bird beat Clarke 2-1 and was fastest at the Worlds when she improved her PB by 7.4 seconds so takes over top ranking.

100m hurdles

1 Cindy Ofili
2 Katarina Johnson-Thompson
3 Alicia Barrett

Ofili was clearly top although not yet back at her top form.

400m hurdles

1 Meghan Beesley
2 Jessica Turner
3 Jessie Knight

Eilidh Doyle did not compete in 2019 so Beesley was top for the first time in 10 years in the top three.

High jump

1 Morgan Lake
2 Katarina Johnson-Thompson
3 Nikki Manson

A total of 101 women at 1.66m or more was the best since 1989.

Pole vault

1 Holly Bradshaw
2 Lucy Bryan
3 Sophie Cook

Bradshaw is clearly top for a record ninth successive year.

Long jump
1 Katarina Johnson-Thompson
2 Abigail Irozuru
3 Shara Proctor

Heptathlete KJT ranks top, as she did in 2014.

Triple jump
1 Naomi Ogbeta
2 Laura Samuel
3 Angela Barrett

Ogbeta was clearly Britain’s No.1 for the third time.

Shot
1 Sophie McKinna
2 Amelia Strickler
3 Divine Oladipo

McKinna excelled to make the world final and over the year added nearly a metre to her PB with nine competitions over her pre-season best.

Discus

1 Kirsty Law
2 Amy Holder
3 Phoebe Dowson

Law reached No.1 in her 14th year in the rankings.

Hammer

1 Jessica Mayho
2 Rachel Hunter
3 Sophie Hitchon

After eight years ranked at the top Hitchon is replaced at No.1 by Mayho.

Javelin
1 Emma Hamplett
2 Laura Whittingham
3 Rebekah Walton

With 12 competitions over 50m Hamplett was the most consistent thrower.

Heptathlon
1 Katarina Johnson-Thompson
2 Katie Stainton
3 Holly Mills

The marvellous KJT is top for the fifth time, with the season of her life.

Walks
1 Heather Lewis
2 Bethan Davies
3 Erika Kelly

Lewis, after seven years at second or third, is top for the first time.