FRESH from her triumphant stint in the just-concluded ICTSI Philippine Athletic Championships, Lauren Hoffman resumes her Olympic qualifying drive in the prestigious Los Angeles Grand Prix unfolding this Friday (Saturday in Manila) at the Drake Stadium inside the UCLA campus in California.
Hoffman scored a golden double in the national meet held at the Philsports track oval in Pasig City, sweeping the women’s 110-meter hurdles while setting a new national record of 13.34 seconds, and the 400-meter hurdles (55.92).
She is currently ranked No. 30 in her pet event, the women’s 400-meter hurdles, which has an entry standard of 54.85 seconds, slightly better than her national record of 55.72 seconds set during the Drake Relays in Des Moines, Iowa last April 28.
Encouraged by her strong performance before a hometown crowd over the weekend, the former Duke University varsity standout is hoping she will finally be able to make the Paris Olympics grade when she competes in the LA Grand Prix, a World Athletic Continental Tour gold event.
“Hopefully, I will finally hit the entry standard and race for the Philippines in the Paris Olympics,” the leggy runner said before returning to the US.
Aside from Hoffman, pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena, the country’s first Olympic qualifier, will also vie in the blue-ribbon meet after completing a 45-day training camp at the Chula Vista Elite Training Center in Chula Vista, California.
Ranked No. 2 behind reigning world and Olympic champion Armand Duplantis, Obiena is set to clash with two American Olympic qualifiers, resurgent two-time world champ Sam Kendricks and KC Lightfoot.
The men’s pole vault event promises to be a battle royale for bragging rights and a means to gain a psychological edge over the opposition before the Paris Summer Games.
