Global Athletics Power Rankings: The 5 Hottest Stars Exiting the Track Season and Entering Marathon Month

We are standing at the exact intersection of speed and suffering. The stadium lights have barely cooled on a historic Diamond League Final in Brussels, and already, the pavement is heating up for the fall marathon majors, beginning with Berlin on September 27. Form is everything in this sport. You are only as good as your last race, and right now, a select group of athletes is operating at a level that defies historical precedent.[5]

Topping the power rankings is Kenya's Sabastian Sawe, who fundamentally altered the geometry of human endurance this past April. By clocking an incomprehensible 1:59:30 at the London Marathon, Sawe became the first man to officially break the two-hour barrier in a sanctioned race, shattering Kelvin Kiptum's previous mark of 2:00:35.[3]

Sawe now heads to the German capital to defend his Berlin title on a course famous for yielding world records. He will be pushed by a deep field that includes Tanzania's Gabriel Geay, who boasts a 2:03:00 personal best. But Sawe is racing history as much as his competitors, and his form makes him the undisputed king of the roads.[3][4]

On the track side, Botswana's Busang Collen Kebinatshipi has emerged as the most electrifying sprinter on the planet. At the Diamond League Final in Brussels on September 5, the 22-year-old unleashed a 43.40 in the 400 meters. That time didn't just win the meet; it registered as the fastest 400m ever run at a Diamond League event, cementing Kebinatshipi's status as a generational talent.[2][5]

Meanwhile, Poland's Klaudia Kazimierska delivered the shock of the season in the women's 1500m. Entering Brussels, she wasn't the heavy favorite, having only managed a second-place finish in Rome earlier in the circuit. But Kazimierska executed a flawless tactical race, crossing the line in 3:54.05 to claim her first career Diamond Trophy.[2]

The performance set a new world lead, a meet record, and a Polish national record, eclipsing the previous Brussels best of 3:54.75. Kazimierska dismantled a loaded field that included Kenya's Dorcus Ewoi and Australia's Jessica Hull, proving she has the closing speed to dominate championship racing.[2]

In the men's 400m hurdles, Brazil's Alison dos Santos proved why he currently sits at number two in the overall World Athletics rankings with 1,526 points. Dos Santos closed out the Brussels meet with a blistering 46.70, establishing a new meeting record and serving a definitive statement of his late-season form.[1][5]

Dos Santos has been remarkably consistent, blending raw speed with technical precision over the barriers to fend off challengers like Trevor Bassitt, who finished second in 48.03. His ability to peak at the end of a grueling Diamond League circuit speaks to a perfectly calibrated training block.[5]

Rounding out the top five is Ethiopia's Tigst Assefa, who is preparing to unleash another historic performance in Berlin. Assefa already holds the mixed-race world record of 2:11:53, set on this exact course in 2023. Earlier this year, she captured her fourth Marathon Major title by winning London in 2:15:41, which stands as the current women's-only race record.[4]

On September 27, she will take aim at the course alongside defending champion Rosemary Wanjiru, looking to solidify her reign as the undisputed queen of the roads. "The BMW BERLIN-MARATHON 2026 once again promises to be an event of superlatives," said Race Director Mark Milde, noting that the race "remains the stage for records, emotions and remarkable sporting achievements."[4]

The convergence of these peak performances highlights a broader trend in global athletics: the gap between "world-class" and "historical" is shrinking. Shoe technology, training methodologies, and a deeper global talent pool are pushing times down across every discipline. As the sport looks ahead to the newly announced World Athletics Ultimate Championship in Budapest next September—which promises a $10 million prize pot—these five athletes have established themselves as the definitive targets.[1][5]