ON pins and needles while waiting until the last moment if she would make it or not, Lauren Hoffman was overjoyed — and relieved — when she learned last Wednesday that she was definitely going to the Paris Olympic Games.
Hobbled by a heel injury at the homestretch of her Olympic bid, Hoffman limped across the entry finish line to wind up 39th among the top 40 in the World Athletics qualifying ratings in the women’s 400-meter hurdles to book a ticket to Paris.
The process was so tough that 32 of the 40 athletes met the qualifying standard of 54.85 seconds while the other eight, including the Fil-American bet, qualified through ranking points earned over the course of the qualifying period.
“The experience was nerve-wracking. I knew I would likely qualify but nothing was guaranteed,” noted the former Duke University varsity ace of her anxious ordeal in the last week of the qualifying period before clinching the coveted Olympic berth.
When formally informed that she had made the grade, “My Mom and I just hugged each other and let some happy tears fall,” she recalled, referring to her mother, Laura.
“It was so amazing to find out that I qualified. I got to share that with my mom, which was very, very special,” she added of the exciting moment with her Navotas-born mother.
Achieving it through the grueling qualifying grind made the accomplishment so much sweeter, according to Hofmann, who trotted around the globe numerous times in pursuit of her Olympic dream.
This was made possible through the collective efforts of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association, Philippine Sports Commission and FILAM Sports.
“It makes me proud to have qualified outright. To be among the top 40 in the world in the women’s 400-meters hurdles is truly worth savoring,” she stressed, crediting her Duke coach Mark Mueller for the pivotal role he played in the achievement.
Since her last meet in the Czestaw Cybulski Memorial at the Golecin Stadion in Poznan, Poland last June 23, Hoffman said she was doing more cross-training and less time on the track while recovering from her strained right Achilles heel tendon.
“My coach (Mueller) and I have a plan to get healthy and get back on track. I’m still able to run on it. I don’t have a tear so I’m grateful. We’re taking a lot of precautions and getting it (the Achilles heel tendon) healed,” she said.
