World Rankings — Men’s Discus Virgilijus Alekna banged out 7 No. 1s between ’98 and ’06 © JIRO MOCHIZUKI/PHOTO RUN 1947 1949 1 ............................Fortune Gordien (US) 1 ............................Fortune Gordien (US) 2 .......................................Bob Fitch (US) 2 .........................Adolfo Consolini (Italy) 3 .........................Adolfo Consolini (Italy) 3 ....................................... Vic Frank (US) 4 .............................Giuseppe Tosi (Italy) 4 .............................Giuseppe Tosi (Italy) 5 .................... Heino Lipp (Soviet Union) 5 ......................................Jim Fuchs (US) 6 .......................Veikko Nyqvist (Finland) 6 ............................. Byrl Thompson (US) 7 ......................... Ivar Ramstad (Norway) 7 .........................Ferenc Klics (Hungary) 8 ................... Arvo Huutoniemi (Finland) 8 ............................John Donaldson (US) 9 .................................... Max Dodge (US) 9 ......................... Ivar Ramstad (Norway) 10 .......................Ferenc Klics (Hungary) 10 ..................................... Bill Miller (US) 1948 1950 1 .........................Adolfo Consolini (Italy) 1 .........................Adolfo Consolini (Italy) 2 .............................Giuseppe Tosi (Italy) 2 .............................Giuseppe Tosi (Italy) 3 ............................Fortune Gordien (US) 3 ............................Fortune Gordien (US) 4 ......................... Ivar Ramstad (Norway) 4 ......................................Jim Fuchs (US) 5 .................... Heino Lipp (Soviet Union) 5 ..................................... Dick Doyle (US) 6 ....................................... Vic Frank (US) 6 ....................................... Vic Frank (US) 7 ............................. Byrl Thompson (US) 7 .................................. Taylor Lewis (US) 8 .........................Ferenc Klics (Hungary) 8 ............................. Byrl Thompson (US) 9 .............................. William Burton (US) 9 .......................................Sim Iness (US) 10 ............................George Kadera (US) 10 .......................Ferenc Klics (Hungary) © Track & Field News 2019 — 1 — World Rankings — Men’s Discus 1951 1955 1 .........................Adolfo Consolini (Italy) 1 .........................Adolfo Consolini (Italy) 2 .............................Giuseppe Tosi (Italy) 2 .............. Karel Merta (Czechoslovakia) 3 ..................................... Dick Doyle (US) 3 ............................Fortune Gordien (US) 4 ....................................... Vic Frank (US) 4 .......................................Sim Iness (US) 5 .........................Ferenc Klics (Hungary) 5 ................ Otto Grigalka (Soviet Union) 6 ..................................... Jim Dillion (US) 6 ................................ Parry O’Brien (US) 7 .................................. Bob Mathias (US) 7 .................József Szécsényi (Hungary) 8 ......................................Jim Fuchs (US) 8 .............Boris Matveyev (Soviet Union) 9 .................................. Taylor Lewis (US) 9 .......................................Des Koch (US) 10 ............................. Cliff Anderson (US) 10 .........Zdeněk Čihák (Czechoslovakia) 1952 1956 1 .......................................Sim Iness (US) 1 ........................................ Al Oerter (US) 2 .........................Adolfo Consolini (Italy) 2 ............................Fortune Gordien (US) 3 ..................................... Jim Dillion (US) 3 .........................Adolfo Consolini (Italy) 4 ............................Fortune Gordien (US) 4 .............................Ron Drummond (US) 5 .........................Ferenc Klics (Hungary) 5 ................................ Parry O’Brien (US) 6 ..................................... Dick Doyle (US) 6 .......................................Des Koch (US) 7 ................................ Parry O’Brien (US) 7 .............. Karel Merta (Czechoslovakia) 8 ..................... Roland Nilsson (Sweden) 8 ................ Otto Grigalka (Soviet Union) 9 ................ Otto Grigalka (Soviet Union) 9 ............... Mark Pharaoh (Great Britain) 10 ...........Boris Matveyev (Soviet Union) 10 .......................Ferenc Klics (Hungary) 1953 1957 1 ............................Fortune Gordien (US) 1 ................................ Parry O’Brien (US) 2 .......................................Sim Iness (US) 2 .................................... Rink Babka (US) 3 .........................Adolfo Consolini (Italy) 3 ....................................... Jack Ellis (US) 4 .........................Ferenc Klics (Hungary) 4 ........................................ Al Oerter (US) 5 ....................................... Jack Ellis (US) 5 .............. Karel Merta (Czechoslovakia) 6 ................................ Parry O’Brien (US) 6 ............... Edmund Piątkowski (Poland) 7 ..................... Roland Nilsson (Sweden) 7 ............................Fortune Gordien (US) 8 .............................Giuseppe Tosi (Italy) 8 .................József Szécsényi (Hungary) 9 .......... Vitomir Krivokapić (Yugoslavia) 9 .........................Adolfo Consolini (Italy) 10 .............. Otto Grigalka (Soviet Union) 10 .............. Otto Grigalka (Soviet Union) 1954 1958 1 ............................Fortune Gordien (US) 1 .................................... Rink Babka (US) 2 .........................Adolfo Consolini (Italy) 2 ........................................ Al Oerter (US) 3 ................................ Parry O’Brien (US) 3 ............... Edmund Piątkowski (Poland) 4 .........................Ferenc Klics (Hungary) 4 .................József Szécsényi (Hungary) 5 ..................................... Jim Dillion (US) 5 ....................................... Jack Ellis (US) 6 .......................................Des Koch (US) 6 ......Vladimir Trusenyov (Soviet Union) 7 .................József Szécsényi (Hungary) 7 ...Algimantas Baltusnikas (Soviet Union) 8 .............................Giuseppe Tosi (Italy) 8 .........................Adolfo Consolini (Italy) 9 ..................... Roland Nilsson (Sweden) 9 ...Stephanus du Plessis (South Africa) 10 ............................Leon Patterson (US) 10 ................................Jay Silvester (US) © Track & Field News 2019 — 2 — World Rankings — Men’s Discus 1959 1963 1 ............... Edmund Piątkowski (Poland) 1 ........................................ Al Oerter (US) 2 .................József Szécsényi (Hungary) 2 ..................................Jay Silvester (US) 3 ........................................ Al Oerter (US) 3 ...........Ludvík Daněk (Czechoslovakia) 4 .................................... Rink Babka (US) 4 .................................... Rink Babka (US) 5 ................Antónios Kounádis (Greece) 5 ............................ Bob Humphreys (US) 6 ......... Vladimir Lyakhov (Soviet Union) 6 ............... Edmund Piątkowski (Poland) 7 ................................ Parry O’Brien (US) 7 ............... Lothar Milde (East Germany) 8 ................................ Dick Cochran (US) 8 ......................................Dave Weill (US) 9 ...Stephanus du Plessis (South Africa) 9 ............ Jens Reimers (West Germany) 10 .............. Otto Grigalka (Soviet Union) 10 ..............Jiří Žemba (Czechoslovakia) 1960 1964 1 ........................................ Al Oerter (US) 1 ........................................ Al Oerter (US) 2 .................................... Rink Babka (US) 2 ...........Ludvík Daněk (Czechoslovakia) 3 .................József Szécsényi (Hungary) 3 ......................................Dave Weill (US) 4 ................................ Dick Cochran (US) 4 ..................................Jay Silvester (US) 5 ..................................Jay Silvester (US) 5 .................................... Rink Babka (US) 6 ............... Edmund Piątkowski (Poland) 6 ............... Edmund Piątkowski (Poland) 7 ............................ Bob Humphreys (US) 7 ..........................Zenon Begier (Poland) 8 ....................................... Jack Ellis (US) 8 ................Jiří Žemba (Czechoslovakia) 9 .. Viktor Kompanyeyets (Soviet Union) 9 .................József Szécsényi (Hungary) 10 .........Kim Bukhantsev (Soviet Union) 10 .............................. Glenn Passey (US) 1961 1965 1 ............... Edmund Piątkowski (Poland) 1 ...........Ludvík Daněk (Czechoslovakia) 2 ..................................Jay Silvester (US) 2 ..................................Jay Silvester (US) 3 .................................... Rink Babka (US) 3 ..........................Zenon Begier (Poland) 4 .................József Szécsényi (Hungary) 4 ......................................Dave Weill (US) 5 ........................................ Al Oerter (US) 5 ............................... Randy Matson (US) 6 ...........Kim Bukhantsev (Soviet Union) 6 ............... Edmund Piątkowski (Poland) 7 ............................ Bob Humphreys (US) 7 .................................... Rink Babka (US) 8 .............. Elfranco Malan (South Africa) 8 ........................ Lars Haglund (Sweden) 9 ................................ Parry O’Brien (US) 9 ............................ Bob Humphreys (US) 10 .. Algimantas Baltusnikas (Soviet Union) 10 .............................. Parry O’Brien (US) 1962 1966 1 ........................................ Al Oerter (US) 1 .......................................