The USA hit a record monthly Global Cup score in August
The USA have opened up a huge gap over second-placed Russia in the Global Cup ranking, after scoring a GSN-record 2562 pts in August.
They won outright two of the year’s biggest sporting events, the IAAF Athletics World Championships, with 18.3% of the points (Kenya was second with 10.9%, 0.7% ahead of hosts Russia), and the Swimming World Championships, with 21.3% of the points (Australia was second with 9.4%).
To give an idea of the comprehensiveness of the US success in the Athletics worlds, they won Track (both Women and Men), were third in Field (second in the Men) and of course took the title in both Women and Men overall!
As usual the official medals ranking is misleading: Russia was first, with 7 golds, and ahead of the USA, who had 6 golds, but amassed a total of 25 medals, against Russia’s 17.
It’s worth noting that the IAAF also runs a Placing Table (which gives points to the first 8 places in each event) and there the USA comfortably beat Russia. Also interesting is how Kenya’s brilliant all-round results are reflected to advantage in the GSN and IAAF rankings, which place the hardy Africans respectively in 2nd and 3rd place, while they rank 4th in the medals table.
Among the other 8 sports in which the US scored points this month were the usual eclectic mix of Diving, Water Polo, Modern Pentathlon, Golf and Ten Pin Bowling! They have now scored points in 38 sports across the year: they scored in 49 sports last year, so the race for that record is definitely on.
Russia, currently second in the Global Cup, have so far scored points in ‘only’ 28 sports, and after reducing the gap from the US to only 349 points in July, are now trailing by 1583 points. It’s hard to see that they can be a threat to another US Global Cup triumph come December 31st.
While Germany is comfortably third both in the monthly ranking and overall too, China has leaped 5 places in the ranking. The Middle Kingdom is now part of a group of four nations comprised within 86 points and in hot contention for fourth place, which includes France, Canada and Great Britain too.
Among the most improved nations in August, three more are worth mentioning; Australia, who capitalised on their pool Swimming success (surprisingly, they finished only 9th in the Open Water Swimming worlds) and are now in 8th place overall; Kenya, surprise runners-up in the Athletics worlds, and 5th overall in the monthly ranking, who gained 8 places in the Global Cup ranking and are now 14th; and Hungary, 6th in the monthly ranking and up 22 places in 19th position overall, after clinching the Canoe/Kayak Sprint worlds (over Germany, by a mere 14 pts) and thanks also to a creditable 7th place overall in the Swimming worlds.
