Kott smashes Games record

CAPAS, TARLAC - Filipino-American Kristina Knott smashed the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games record and the Philippine mark with a blazing run in the women’s 200 meters that highlighted the start of athletics at the New Clark City Stadium here.

Knott, who is going for a rare sprint double, won impressively with a time of 23.01 seconds to break the SEAG record of 23.20 that

Supavadee Khawpeag of Thailand registered in the 2011 edition of this biennial meet in Malaysia.

Running of lane 3, Knott grabbed the lead going into the last 100 meters then eased up a few steps from the finish of a dominating

performance that also wiped out the national mark of 23.50, which the legendary Lydia de VegaMercado set in a meet in California in 1986. Vietnam’s Le Tuchinh was a far second in 23.45 with Veronica Perrida of Singapore salvaging the bronze in 23.77.

As expected, EJ Obiena, already an Olympics qualifier in men’s pole vault, easily ruled his pet event for the host country by clearing 5.45

meters in the first of eight finals of the centerpiece sports that offers a total of 42 gold medals.

Thailand proved the day’s winningest however with Khongrasit Chayot winning the men’s 200 (20.71 seconds), Kieran

Thuntivate topping the men’s 10,000 meters (30:19.28), Parinya Chuaimaroeng ruling the women’s triple jump (13.75 meters) and Boonmawan taking the hammer throw (67.56 meters).

Vietnam scored in the 4 x 400 mixed relay with a time of 3:19.5 and Indonesia joined the winner’s row as Sapwatur Rahman cleared 8.03 meters in ruling the men’s long jump.