Olympic hopefuls Hoffman, Tolentino break national records in PH Athletics Championships

MANILA, Philippines – Olympic hopefuls Lauren Hoffman and John Tolentino shattered their national records in the Philippine Athletics Championships at the PhilSports Track Oval on Wednesday, May 8.

On a quest to qualify for the Paris Games, Hoffman and Tolentino ruled the women’s 100m hurdles and men’s 110m hurdles, respectively.

Hoffman clocked 13.34 seconds to eclipse her previous national record of 13.41 seconds she set in the Duke Invitational in the United States in April to finish ahead of Jelly Dianne Paragile (14.16) and Lyka Miravalles (15.23).

The Filipina-American standout aims to clinch her Paris berth in the women’s 400m hurdles, where she is poised to qualify through the Olympic rankings.

With 23 athletes hitting the Olympic qualifying standard of 54.85 seconds in the women’s 400m hurdles, only the next 17 highest-ranked athletes – maximum of three per country – will complete the 40-woman field.

Hoffman sits at No. 30 in the rankings.

Meanwhile, Tolentino broke his previous national record of 13.53 seconds he set in the Spanish Championships last year with 13.37 seconds as he edged fellow national team member Clinton Kingsley Bautista for the gold.

Bautista settled for silver with 13.98 seconds, while Liu Hiu Long of Hong Kong bagged bronze with 14.35 seconds.

Like Hoffman, the Filipino-Spanish is in line for a Paris seat through the Olympic rankings, where Tolentino is at No. 31.

Twenty-three Paris spots are still up for grabs in the men’s 110m hurdles, with only 17 athletes reaching the Olympic qualifying standard of 13.27 seconds so far.

Other Filipinos vying for Olympic spots are Eric Cray, Robyn Brown, Janry Ubas, and Kristina Knott. – Rappler.com