WHILE she may have missed a ticket to last year’s Paris Olympic Games, Robyn Lauren Brown now has the distinction of being the first Filipino athlete to compete in the women’s 400-meter hurdles twice in a row in the World Athletics Championships.
A triple gold medalist in the last ICTSI Philippine Athletic Championships held at the New Clark City Athletic Stadium in Capas, Tarlac last May, Brown, 31, was able to secure a slot by universality after missing the qualifying cut for the event that ended last Aug. 24.
She will be joining ace pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena as the country’s representatives in the 20th edition of the prestigious world trackfest from Sept. 13 to 21 at the Tokyo Olympic Stadium in Tokyo, Japan.
“World Athletics has already confirmed this to us. We are proud that Robyn can compete once again at the world championships, and without a doubt we believe she will be extra motivated to do even better than her performance two years ago in Budapest, Hungary,” Philippine Athletics president Terry Capistrano said. “
Patafa secretary general jasper Tanhueco said that Brown, who closed out the qualifying window ranked No. 66 in the event, was given the universality slot despite finishing out of the top 40 runners in the World Athletics world ratings after some countries exceeded the allotment of three entries in the event.
As examples, the US has nine qualified runners who either matched or surpassed the qualifying standard of 54.65 seconds, while Jamaica has five.
Securing a slot was a just reward for the hardworking and low-key Brown, 31, whose mother hails from Imus, Cavite and who took the women’s 400-meter hurdles gold medal in the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, Thailand two years ago.
The athlete will swing into action in the women’s 400-meter hurdles heats on Sept. 15, hoping to reach the semifinals two days later, and, if all works according to plan, the finals on Sept. 19.
Her stint will also spur to do even better in the 33rd Thailand Southeast Asian Games in December after settling for a silver medal in her pet event in 2023 during the 32nd edition of the regional meet at the Morodok Techno National Stadium in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
