The USA clinch Winter Sports and top G. Cup ranking in May, China jumps to 8th place
The USA retain their Global Cup lead at the end of May 2013,
the only other movement of note in the top 10 during a quiet sporting month being China’s imperious move from 16th to 8th place overall. The Asian giants have topped the monthly ranking thanks to a whopping 322 points amassed in the Table Tennis World Championships (4 golds – the Men and Women singles and doubles titles - and three silvers).
The USA secured what is still a relatively slim margin (317 pts) over surprise second-placed Norway with a bronze medal in the Men’s Ice Hockey World Championships (won by co-hosts Sweden), which also ensured their being crowned overall Winter Sports kings for 2013.
In this exclusive GSN ranking they beat Scandinavian powerhouse Norway by a mere 139 points, while 2012 Winter Sports champions Canada had to settle for third place. Most of the other top 20 countries in the ranking, albeit with a few ups and downs, remain the same, with the notable inclusions of Poland (18th) and Australia (19th) at the expense of Slovakia and Kazakhstan.
June will be an extremely busy sporting month and it will be interesting to see if Russia and China will gain momentum in their Global Cup challenge. Russia, currently 4th, is only one position behind its ranking at the end of May 2012, while China is lagging still, as it was then in 4th position.
