By Charles Pemu 
Tobi Amusan has cemented her status as Nigeria’s highest-ranked athlete, skyrocketing to third place globally in the latest World Athletics 100m hurdles rankings.
The 28-year-old world record holder climbed six spots from ninth to third after securing a silver medal at the World Championships in Tokyo. Amusan, who scored 1,430 points, now sits only behind the US’s Grace Stark and the new world champion, Ditaji Kambundji of Switzerland.
Her rise is even more dramatic in the overall women’s rankings, where she jumped 40 places from 68th to 28th. She is currently the only Nigerian woman inside the global top 100 following Favour Ofili’s switch of allegiance to Turkey.
Several other Nigerian athletes recorded significant improvements following their performances in Tokyo:
Ezekiel Nathaniel: The 22-year-old 400m hurdler and five-time national record breaker surged from 59th to 15th in the overall rankings. He remains firmly in the world’s fifth position in his event, behind top names like Rai Benjamin and Karsten Warholm.
Chukwuebuka Enekwechi: The shot putter, who became the first African to throw beyond 22m this season, edged into the global top 100 at 99th overall and maintained his position as the world’s seventh best in men’s shot put.
Kanyinsola Ajayi: The men’s 100m finalist made an extraordinary leap, climbing 246 places overall to 171st and rising from 29th to 13th in the 100m event rankings.
Udodi Onwuzurike: The young prospect also improved his standing, moving up to 25th in the 200m from 30th.
Global Top Ranks Shift
At the very pinnacle of the overall global rankings, Swedish pole vaulter Armand Duplantis continues to dominate the men’s side.
In the women’s overall rankings, Kenya’s middle-distance star Beatrice Chebet retained the lead after claiming a double gold in the 5,000m and 10,000m. US sprinter Melissa Jefferson-Wooden moved into second after her 100m and 200m titles, pushing Kenyan legend Faith Kipyegon down to third.