Ho man, Cray win as expected

LAUREN HOFFMAN and Eric Cray won their events with ease on Friday in the International Container Terminal Services Inc. Philippine Athletics Championships but for both Filipino-americans, the Paris Olympics remain as their ultimate goals.

Kristina Knott shared the day’s spotlight when she broke the 24-yearold national record of 11.30 seconds in the women’s 100 meters set by Lerma Bulauitan Gabito in the 2000 open by one-tenth of a second in the morning heats.

“e goal is always to win but we have to work on some technical things and we’re just halfway in the season so there are more opportunities to hit the Olympic standard,” Hoffman told Businessmirror after the race.

Hoffman burned the Philsports track in Pasig City to a new national record of 55.92 seconds that erased her previous mark of 56.39 in the women’s 400 meters hurdles she set last month in the Hurricane Collegiate Invitational in Florida.

“I’m just a little half a second away from the Olympic standard but I believe I can still make it,” she said.

e Paris standard for the 400 hurdles is 54.85 seconds.

Hoffman’s national teammate Roby Crisostomo Brown was two seconds off for the silver medal in 57.27 while University of the Philippines-diliman’s Josie Inemedo was third in 1:04.69.

It was her second gold medal and national record—after the 100 hurdles last Wednesday—in the competition organized by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association led by Terry Capistrano.

Cray, meanwhile, ran some two seconds short of hitting the Olympic standard of 48.70 with his winning time of 50.51 seconds in the men’s 400 meters hurdles.

Another Filipino-american Connor Henderson was a distant second at 54.12 and University of Perpetual Help’s Er Yake Mengorio crossed further back for the bronze in 54.43.