by Lia Skoufos, MS
This article is a part of a USATF Campus exclusive series to help understand the World Athletics Rankings. For track fans and elite athletes alike, this series aims to provide clarity, analysis, and education on all things World Rankings, and what they mean for Team USATF. For more information on how the World Rankings system works, see this article.
From March 10-17, 2026, one U.S. athlete in the top 100 has the biggest absolute improvement to their World Ranking this week, improving their position by thirty-two spots. Benjamin Smith, a redshirt freshman shot putter from the University of Oregon, rocketed from 98th in the world to 66th for a 32-place increase thanks to a 44cm personal best in his first ever “C” level competition. He took 4th place at the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships despite being one of the youngest in the field. When assessing improvement based on percentage increase in ranking (e.g., 2nd to 1st is a 50% improvement as is moving from 30th to 15th), one U.S. athlete showed the biggest improvement. Jordan Pierre, University of Arkansas school record holder in the indoor 400m, jumped from 74th to 49th for a 33.8% improvement. At the NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships, the SEC Indoor Newcomer Runner of the Year ran a personal best in the 400m prelims and followed it up with another personal best in the finals to claim 3rd place overall. More details on rankings, results, and scenarios can be found on the World Athletics website. You can also experiment with my World Athletics Rankings Dashboard & Calculator or World Rankings Over Time Dashboard, hosted exclusively on USATF Campus.
Lia Skoufos is a Sports Scientist at USATF specializing in throwing events. She holds a BS in Kinesiology from the University of Illinois Chicago and MS in Sport and Exercise Analytics from Marquette University and supports a range of analytics-based projects at USATF. In addition to her work with the throws group, she focuses on creating data-driven visuals and bridging the gap between technical analytics and practical applications by translating complex information into clear, actionable insights for coaches, athletes, and all USATF Campus members.