Burnett, an NCAA champion, holds the #9 spot in the IAAF’s top-10 outdoor 800m list comprising several elite stars from across the globe. Her 2:03.17 at California’s Mt. SAC Relays on April 19 was recorded in her only half-mile event for the season, which is in its ninth week.

Among world stars in the list are British champion Natalie Lewis (#1), Australian champion Tamsyn Lewis (#3), Tanya Blake of Malta (#4), American Jen Toomey (#6) and Tatyana Rosalova of Kazakhstan (#7).

The world top-10 listing is the first such achievement for the Louisiana-based student-athlete who was overly elated when contacted by Chronicle Sports. “This is so much encouragement for me, especially since I’ve only had one race for the season, so far,” Burnett said, adding that studies and exams for “finals have kept me busy from further competitions.” She had broken her Guyana indoor 800m record with 2:04.57 run in Florida, early in February.

Commonwealth Games champion, Pompey says she “is revving-up for major meets later in the year, including the ‘world outdoors’.”

Like Burnett, she too has had less competition of late, since studies and exams towards her Masters degree demanded ‘front burner’ attention.

During the indoor season, Pompey twice held the world’s fastest 400m time and recorded a new Guyana national record (52.17s) at the distance.

The multiple record-holder also completed the indoor season as the IAAF world #5 at the seldom run 500m. Early this month, she competed in Belem, Brazil, and placed 4th in the 400m. Her appearance there required air travel for almost 16 hours, which could have been a major factor in the bitter-sweet experience of getting off her first race of the season.

“It wasn’t all that good, neither all that bad in the circumstances … but, hey! … it’s a start, and I’ll take it from there … I am confident of better things in the ensuing weeks,” she told Chronicle Sports.

Meanwhile, young New York High School track phenomenon Jeavon Benjamin is listed as the #2 athlete in the USA Track and Field’s (USATF) top-10 list at indoor 600m - another infrequently conducted event.