The qualifying time could be the way to the Olympics for Fil-American tracksters Kristina Knott and Eric Cray.
Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association President Philip Ella Juico admitted that the two tracksters’ quotas lag behind when it comes to the world rankings.
This is due to their lack of participation in tournament activities prior to the upcoming Tokyo Olympic Games.
“Either you meet the qualifying standard, you meet outright or you go by rankings. Si Eric right now is not in the top 100 and si Kristina naman [on the other hand], she’s number 96 for the 200 meters and 102 for the 100 meters. They will only accommodate, I think, 68 per event. Ganyan talaga [That’s the way it is], the more you join, the more you gain points, but the most convenient way is to reach the qualifying time,” Juico laid out.
But when it comes to the qualifying marks, the personal bests of Knott and Cray are close enough.
“We’re looking at Kristina at the 100 meters, pero [but] she has a bigger chance in the 200 meters. She’s aiming for that. In the case of Eric, his last competition which was held under raining conditions and cold weather of 40 °F, much cooler than Baguio, he was three seconds short [of] the qualifying time. I talked to him and he’s confident that he can make it. He is also like that in Rio, pahuli rin [also running behind]. I hope makahabol sila [they can catch up],” Juico said.
In the Women’s 200-meter race, the qualifying time is 22.8 seconds, just a second short compared to Knott’s personal best of 23.01 seconds. In the 100-meter Women’s event, the qualifying time is 11.15 seconds, close to her best time of 11.27 seconds.
Meanwhile, the Men’s 400-meter hurdles have a qualifying time of 48.90 seconds for the Olympics, close to Cray’s 48.98 seconds. – Report by Mae Ann Fajardo/ JBB
Watch this report from Mae Ann Fajardo for more details:
