SIMPSON

COMMONWEALTH GAMES champion Sherone Simpson has dropped two places in the IAAF 200m world rankings but remains the leader of the short sprint.

In the latest IAAF World Rankings, which are released every Tuesday, Simpson lost the number one spot she held for three weeks to Jamaica-born American Sanya Richards.

Richards climbed from third to the top with 1,327 points following her victory at last weekend's World Cup (22.23) and her second-place finish at the World Athletics Final (22.17) two weekends ago.

Simpson's 1,310 points also put her behind Belgium's Kim Gevaert (1,317 points).

Simpson, however, remained the top-ranked 100m athlete with 1,384 points, which helped maintain her fourth-place position on the Overall Ranking with 1,389 points.

She is behind new leader Richards (1,401 points) and Meseret Defar (1,400) and Tirunesh Dibaba (1,394), both of Ethiopia.

Meanwhile, the world 100m record holder, Asafa Powell, continues to lead the men's overall ranking.

Though he was missing from the World Cup field, Powell still leads the overall section with 1,452 points. Americans Tyson Gay, the most successful all-round sprinter this season, (1,430), and 400m star Jeremy Wariner (1,423) trail Powell, who has recorded 12 sub-10 second times this year.

Jamaicans Novlene Williams (1,339) and Shericka Williams (1,303) are listed third and fourth respectively in the women's 400m event. Richards (1,400) tops the table.

Brigitte Foster-Hylton (1,345) moved up one place, to third, in the women's 100m hurdles event; Kenia Sinclair (1,310) is sixth in the women's 800m, while world triple jump champion, Trecia Smith (1,304), dropped one place to fourth.