ERIC Cray and Kristina Knott bolstered their Olympic hopes Friday (Saturday in Manila) with strong runner-up finishes in the men’s 400-meter hurdles and women’s 200-meter hurdles, respectively, of the La Classique d’athletis de Montreal at Ben Leduc Athletics Track in Montreal, Canada.
Eyeing a second Olympic trip since making his debut in the 2016 Rio Summer Games, Cray clocked 50.18 seconds, narrowly losing top honors to Mexican Guilermo Campos, who ruled the World Athletic Continental Tour bronze event in 50.11 seconds.
Also seeking back-to-back Olympics following her maiden appearance in Tokyo three years ago, Knott took the silver medal with a time 23.32 seconds behind hometown bet Jacqueline Madogo, carrying the colors of Royal City Athletics Club, (23.09).
Both athletes gained precious World Athletics Olympic ratings qualifying points, with Cray ranked No. 45, out of the top 40 Olympic qualifiers, while Knott was at No. 46 out of a possible 48 Olympic entries in her event, with the qualifying period ending this coming Sunday.
Over in Europe, Olympic aspirants John Cabang Tolentino, ranked No. 28 in the WA ratings, finished seventh in the men’s 110-meter hurdles (13.75), the same finish of Robyn Brown (No. 39) in the women’s 400-meter hurdles in the Meeting de Madrid in Madrid, Spain.
There are 40 Olympic spots up for grabs in both events.
Scheduled to compete last night (early Monday morning in Manila) in the CzesÅ‚aw Cybulski Memorial in Poznan, is the country’s first Olympic qualifier, Ernest John Obiena, and compatriot Lauren Hoffman.
Obiena aims to follow up on his impressive golden finish after a season best of 5.97 meters in the men’s pole vault at the Irena Szewinska Memorial meet in the nearby Polish city of Bydgoszcz where Hoffman (No. 34) wound up seventh in the women’s 400-meter hurdles (53.78).
