India ranks above Kenya and Jamaica in athletics!

Can India be ranked above such powerhouses as Kenya, Jamaica and Ethiopia in athletics? Incredibly, it can be, and it has been!

German athletics statistician Klaus Roder, with assistance from another German Heinrich Hubbeling, has published 2014 world rankings by country in the German athletics magazine Leichtathletik based on the top 10 averages by event for all individual Olympic events barring race-walking.

The rankings are based on the top 10 results in each event by a country in the 2014 lists and the averages arrived at. Countries are ranked in each event up to 40th place. The top nation gets 40 points, the second one 39 and so on ending up with one point for the 40th placed country.

For example, we know in men’s 100 metres Jamaica is the strongest nation in the world. It has an average of 9.986 for its top 10 sprinters, getting the No. 1 place with 40 points. The US follows next at 9.987. Only Jamaica and the US have cracked 10.00 for the top 10 averages. Britain comes third at 10.083.

The US is No. 1 in men’s 200 metres with Jamaica at second spot, 20.115 to 20.203.

India with an average of 10.558 for the men’s 100 gets the 36th place for five points. That average is creditable for a nation not known for its sprinting. With 21.240 in the 200 metres Indian men occupy the 32^nd place with nine points.

USA tops in both sections

The overall standings for countries for men and women and combined provide the biggest surprises. The US is expectedly No. 1 in both men (783 points) and women (783) and also of course combined. Britain is second in men’s (686), fourth among women (689) and third in the combined placings while Russia is No. 2 among women (749) and combined (1424) and third among men (675). Germany is fourth among men (670), third among women (699) and fourth in the combined standings.

India at 17th (358 points) in the men’s standings is a rung above Kenya (345), which finished on top of the medals table at last month’s World Athletics Championships in Beijing with a tally of seven gold, six silver and three bronze medals!

Below India among men are such acknowledged athletics powers as Jamaica (21st with 335), which was second in the medals table at the World Championships, Ethiopia (28th with 220) and Cuba (29th with 196), among others.

In the women’s section, the Indians surprisingly fares poorer than their male counterparts. We always thought they were better than men but then that could have been because of their capacity to win medals in international competitions.

The Indian women, with 302 points, are ranked 21st, above Kenya (250 for 25th), Cuba (242 for 26th) and Ethiopia (220 for 32^nd) but below Jamaica (368 for 18th).

In combined standings, India ranks 20th with 660 points, above Kenya (595 for 22nd), Ethiopia (440 for 27th) and Cuba (438 for 28th). Jamaica, at 19th, with 703 points, is just a slot above India.

Depth in several events

This might sound strange but it is true India has the depth in several events, especially field events that countries like Kenya and Ethiopia, for example, do not have.

Asked about the pleasant surprise of seeing India well above some of the athletics superpowers, Hubbeling, who brings out the Asian Athletics rankings, an annual publication, and who very kindly made available these rankings, said in an e-mail:” In this case we have to consider that Kenya, Jamaica and Ethiopia are ‘superpowers’ according to the medals in major competitions, mainly thanks to their strong runners. However, this compilation values in-depth quality (needed at least for most events) and countries with strong specific events only (or smaller countries by population without a chance for good top 10 averages in each event) are automatically lower ranked.”

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) can have the satisfaction, and even pat itself, for having developed such depth across all the Olympic events. Still, the dream for an Olympic medal in athletics remains. For that you need to get into the top-10 rankings in individual events at least for a couple of years, if not year after year for four or five years. Consistency to produce the best in major international competitions, in the company of the top contenders in an event would be the key towards Olympic success if that were to happen.

Not reflected in medals tally

It would also be pertinent to analyse why the depth is not reflected in the medals tally in continental as well as global meets for Indian athletes. After all, athletes compete to win championships medals or at least to get a decent placing not just to better national records and clock personal bests.

The best contributors to the Indian men’s tally in the Roder tables are shot putters and javelin throwers. Both are ranked in the ninth place, worth 32 points each, shot put with an average of 18.314 and javelin 75.911. It is worth mention here that the shot putters and javelin throwers have not maintained their 2014 form this year except for shot putter Inderjeet Singh.

This is another area where the AFI should be delving into or the Sports Authority of India (SAI) should be concerned about. Why should there be so wide fluctuations in performance levels from season to season?

Other leading placers among men for India in the German compilation are from triple jump (12th, 16.033), high jump (14th, 2.156), 400m hurdles (16th, 51.377), hammer (18th, 64.895) and long jump (19th, 7.621).

Where women 400m stands

Among women, not surprisingly, the 400 metres tops the lists for India. It is at 13th place with an average timing of 53.336. The placing should also give us some idea about where India stands in the 4x400m relay, an event which has been projected as a medal contender at the Rio Olympics. Unless Ukrainian coach Yuriy Ogorodnik works his ‘magic’ in the next 11 months, that placing is not going to convert itself into a medal in the Olympics.

The other major points have come in the women’s section through triple jump (16th, 13.141) and discus (18th, 50.456). Women’s marathon (42nd, 3:04.42.3) is the only event where India does not score.

In the Asian context, Japan is ahead of the rest, fifth among men (635 points) and 12th among women (535) for a combined sixth placing (1108) while China, with 10th position among men (519) and seventh among women (589) stands at ninth in the combined placings.

Just as in India’s case, Japan’s depth or season bests by its athlete do not translate itself into medals in Asian meets. China topped the 2014 Asian Games athletics medals table with 15 gold, 13 silver and 11 bronze medals while Japan had a tally of 3-12-8 and India 2-4-7.

In this year’s Asian championships at home in Wuhan, China once again topped with 15-13-13 while Qatar was second (7-2-1), India third (4-5-4) and Japan fourth (4-3-11). In the Roder standings, Qatar occupies joint 52nd place among men.

In the global context, Kenya is expectedly the No. 1 nation in men’s 800 metres through to marathon and women’s 1500 metres through to 10,000 metres with the second place behind Ethiopia in women’s marathon.

Kenya has broken free from its middle and long distance stamp with Julius Yego, the 26-year-old Policeman taking the World Championships gold in javelin last month with a world-leading throw of 92.72 metres, an African record.

The Caribbeans have also shown some interest in throws with Frederick Dacres of Jamaica being among the leading discus throwers in the world this year, though he finished seventh in the Worlds. Keshorn Walcott of Trinidad and Tobago was the javelin champion in the London Olympics.

Three Indians lead year’s Asian lists

Leaving the 2014 results aside for a while let us also take a look at the year’s lists now that the season is all but over.

Three Indians lead the Asian charts in 2015. For the second year in succession, discus thrower Vikas Gowda is the leader with 65.75m, recorded at La Jolla, US, in April. Gowda, Asian champion in Wuhan, has eight of the top 10 marks in Asia this year, the other two going to Asian record holder Ehsan Hadadi of Iran.

Apart from his top mark, Gowda has two other results over 65 metres and eight others over 63 metres this season. He is yet on the look-out for the 66.0m mark that would give him a ticket to Rio next year. He has plenty of time to achieve that and may even be in line for an ‘invitation place’ on ranking in case he fails to reach it next year.

Inderjeet Singh, whose phenomenal run in shot put this season did not culminate in a better placing than 11th in the World Championships in Beijing, owns the top 10 marks in Asia this year. This is a remarkable feat for one who has hit big time only this year.

His top 10 performances: 20.65 (Fed Cup), 20.47 (World championships qualification), 20.44 (inter-State championships), 20.41 (Asian championships), 20.27 (World University Games), 20.14 (National Games), 19.85 (Asian GP, Pathumthani), 19.83 (Asian GP, Bangkok), 19.83 (Asian GP, Chanthaburi), 19.82 (Open National, Kolkata). Except for the World Championships Inderjeet won each of these events where he posted his leading marks.

With his 20.65, Inderjeet occupies the 23rd place in the world lists this season. The giant shot putter has qualified for the Olympics..

Tintu Luka, the much-criticized 800m runner from the Usha School of Athletics in Kerala is the lone Indian woman to lead the Asian lists this season. Luka, who won the Asian title in Wuhan, but disappointed in the heats of the Worlds in Beijing, owns the top four timings in Asia this year.

She clocked her season best at the Kolkata National with 2:00.56 after having clocked 2:00.95 in the Worlds and failed to progress. She had 2:01.53 for the Asian gold in Wuhan and 2:01.86 for the National Games title in Feb last. She has qualified for the Rio Olympics.