World Athletics recently published 2026 Platinum（Platinum Status）andGold（Gold Status） lists, with 45 men and 45 women in Platinum Status, and 130 men and 130 women in Gold Status, Five Chinese athletes achieved Gold Status.
The three women on the list are Zhang Deshun, Wu Bing and Li Zhixuan. The two men are Feng Peiyou and Yang Shaohui.
In the latest marathon world points overall rankings, China's top five men are Feng Peiyou, Yang Shaohui, Chen Tianyu, He Jie and Jia Erenjia; the top five women are Zhang Deshun, Wu Bing, Li Zhixuan, Zhang Xinyan and Ciren Cuomu.
So, how are Platinum / Gold label athletes selected?
Selection is straightforward: Platinum/ Gold label athletes, are generated entirely automatically based on the World Athletics World Rankings, and are selected in batches by event, ranking and cutoff dates,There is no panel scoring or subjective nomination.
Each year, this ranking is updated, and World Athletics selects an athlete'sbest valid results from recent competitions,takes an average and ultimately obtains the athlete'sworld ranking points. It mainly combines three factors:
Performance itself: the faster the time, the higher the ranking and the higher the base score;
Competition category: competing in higher-grade events such as Platinum Label, Gold Label, etc., yields higher points than ordinary races;
Consistency — whether an athlete maintains a high level of performance across multiple seasons.
In other words,Running fast is important, but running consistently is equally important.World rankings are not based on a single best result, but on a long-term points system.
Then, World Athletics, based on the rankings, selectsPlatinum Label/ Gold Label athletes。Each gender has a fixed number. According to the latest selection criteria, Platinum-label athletes, men and women each 45 each, and Gold-label athletes 130 each, allocated according to the proportions of the marathon, road running and 10,000m events.Among themthe marathon discipline carries higher weight, because the label races mainly focus on the marathon.
This is also an important reason why some familiar elite athletes we know, such as He Jie, did not make the Gold Label list. He, in the previous season, had the only valid results counted: Tokyo and Wuhan, with times of 2:07:20 and 2:10:29, average score was 1157, ranked 264th in the world.
It should be noted that,Platinum Label/Gold Label athletes are not honorary titles, but rather a list of top runners selected by World Athletics using a "long-term points ranking," intended to ensure the quality and fairness of top-level events.
Many labeled races have upgraded in recent years, but their elite fields remain uneven. Some events are Gold/Platinum labeled yettheir elite lineups are not stable; some rely on high appearance fees to "assemble" fields at the last minute, but competitive standards and complianceare lacking. Therefore, while rating athletes, hard thresholds are also set for events. Gold-label races must haveat least 4 Gold or higher athletes per gender, and Platinum-label races must have a combination of Platinum (3) + Gold (4).
In addition, professional athletes are more likely to be invited to top-level events and have clearer commercial and professional positioning, which can be considered aan official endorsement of long-term high-level performance. Therefore, they will not be chasing a single PB, but will aim for sustained, consistent output over the long term, and will be selective about the number and choice of races.
Finally, almost all Platinum-label and the vast majority of Gold-label athletes will be entered intoRTP (Registered Testing Pool), subject to anti-doping testing, helping keep competitions cleaner and increasing confidence in the results of major events.
As a result, recreational runners are more likely to witness world-class showdowns in Platinum- and Gold-label races.
What do you think about these five Chinese athletes making the list?
