The 2026 athletics season is gradually drawing to a close, with only a handful of stadium meets left, though some significant ones remain, including the South American Games (Santa Fe, Argentina, 22-25 September) and the Asian Games (Nagoya, Japan, 23-29 September), both Category A events.
With the heavily promoted, richly funded World Athletics Ultimate Championship now complete, the world rankings across all events are taking roughly their final shape, barring standout performances that could bring small shifts at Friday's two "silver" meetings in Chorzów, Poland, and London, England.
Whatever happens there, we have studied and worked through the world rankings as published by World Athletics on Wednesday, 16 September 2026, covering all results recorded up to Tuesday, 15 September 2026.
It was a particular pleasure to find that 11 Cypriot athletes sit inside the world's top 100 in their event, after several made the most of our own major international competitions this year: the European Championships, the Commonwealth Games and the Mediterranean Games, as well as the Medochemie Cyprus Championships. Here they are, in brief.
Top of the pile
The top-ranked Cypriot in the world rankings is Iosif Kesidis, Mediterranean gold and Commonwealth silver medallist, who has climbed to 12th in the world hammer throw with 1,225 points. The progress made this year by Panikos Charalambous's athlete has been striking: he began 2026 ranked 56th and has climbed to 12th on the back of huge throws and results, and he is our only athlete inside Europe's top 10 (9th).
In a transitional year for her, competing in her first "professional" season outside the University of Georgia, Elena Kulichenko has remained near the top of the high jump, sitting 22nd with 1,186 points (12th in Europe), down from 11th in January. With silver in her last competition, the Mediterranean Games, Faz Khan's athlete shows she has adjusted to her new circumstances and is ready for a much stronger 2027.
2026 has been Filippa Fotopoulou's best year to date, as she passed the 1,200-point mark in the world rankings for the first time, rising to 31st in the long jump with 1,202 points, and 13th in Europe. Our champion, coached in 2026 by Luis Felipe Meliz Linares and Kyriakos Antoniou, was ranked 38th at the start of the year, but with consistent jumps beyond 6.60m and gold at the Mediterranean Games as the highlight, she has laid the groundwork for an even better 2027.
Milan Trajkovic's longevity was on full display in 2026, as he equalled his own Cypriot record in the 110m hurdles and won Mediterranean silver and Commonwealth bronze. Antonis Giannoulakis's athlete holds the most world ranking points of any Cypriot (1,236), a sign both of his quality and of just how competitive the 110m hurdles has become, as he sits 42nd in the world (15th in Europe). The scale of Trajkovic's year is clear from the fact that he was ranked 81st in January and now sits 42nd.
Before continuing, it's worth noting that the four athletes above, all inside the world's top 50, are the ones who qualified for their event final at the European Championships in Birmingham.
A tougher year for some
Valentina Savva had a difficult year, following a forced change of coach at the University of California, and despite coming close to 70 metres again, she was unable to consistently produce the throws she wanted. Giorgos Arestis's athlete slipped somewhat in the world rankings compared with January 2026, falling from 42nd to 61st in the hammer throw, with 1,092 points. This looks set to be temporary, however: with a move to a new university (Texas) and a new partnership with Mo Saatara, she is expected to throw further than ever in 2027.
Among our most improved athletes in 2026 were our two throwers who train under the great Apostolos Parellis. Their improvement this year was remarkable, and the foundations are clearly in place for even better years ahead. Petros Michaelides climbed from 103rd in January to 66th in the shot put with 1,117 points, while Iosif-Michalis Papa also climbed to 66th in the discus, with 1,090 points, having been ranked 95th in January.
2025 marked Styliani Ioannidou's major return to the major jumps, with 2026 proving somewhat tougher, as she did not find the consistency she was looking for. Even so, she remains inside the top 100 in the high jump, at 76th with 1,102 points, though she was 46th in January. Her coaches in 2026 were Giorgos Skender and Kyriakos Ioannou.
The unluckiest of the year was Olivia Fotopoulou, whose injury kept her out of the major competitions, meaning she did not collect the points her ability deserves. Kyriakos Antoniou's athlete is now ranked 83rd in the world 200m, with 1,159 points, down from 74th in January, though she is expected to return stronger in 2027 once fully recovered. It's worth highlighting the strength of competition from top athletes outside Europe in the 200m, given that our champion is ranked 22nd in Europe.
Two new arrivals in the world's top 100
That brings us to the two athletes making their first appearance inside the world's top 100, after huge improvement in 2026, with more to come. At just 17, Marina Hatzikosta is beginning to make a name for herself on the world stage, with gold at the European U18 Championships and bronze at the World U20 Championships, as well as consistent results near and above 55 metres in the discus. Konstantinos Stavrou's athlete recorded the biggest improvement of any Cypriot in 2026, entering the year ranked 290th and now sitting 93rd in the world discus rankings, with 1,016 points, a jump of 197 places. And this is only the beginning.
The final new entry into the world's top 100 in their event was Grigoris Nikolaou, helped greatly by his fourth-place finish, with 16.03m, at the Mediterranean Games. Ilias Agapiou's athlete did not have the easiest year, having returned from his studies in the United States to join the National Guard, on top of not being in the best psychological shape, but he improved steadily over time, climbing from 114th in January to 98th in the world triple jump rankings, with 1,081 points.
Below, we set out the world and European rankings of Cyprus's track and field athletes, based on the latest update from World Athletics on 15 September 2026. As international competitions allow only three athletes per country per event, we have filtered each event accordingly to show where our own athletes stand.
We hope the publication of the new world rankings serves as further motivation for all our athletes to put in the work during pre-season training, which begins in a few days, and to have their best year yet in 2027. We would also urge everyone to make wise choices about which international meets to compete in, and to do so in good time.
Source: KOEAS Press Office
