TOKYO Olympic Games veteran Kristina Knott open’s the country’s drive in the 19th Asian Games track and field competitions when she competes in the women’s 100-meter heats on Saturday at the Hangzhou Olympic Center Stadium.
Hoping to redeem herself after a forgettable outing in the Asian athletic championships last June in Bangkok, Thailand, Knott sprints into action at 9 p.m. at the 80,000-seat arena, hoping to advance to the semifinals and finals the next day.
She is eyeing to break a 27-year-old gold medal drought in the event since the legendary Lydia de Vega last ruled the glamor event in the 1986 Seoul Asian event in a spirited duel with India’s famed P.T. Usha.
Knott clocked 11.61 seconds in finishing a dismal sixth place in the Asian meet.
A double gold medalist in the 2019 Philippine Southeast Asian Games, the Florida native is also competing the women’s 200-meter run whose heats are set on Oct. 1, with the semis and finals set for the succeeding day.
Reigning Cambodia SEA Games men’s long jump king Janry Ubas will also see action in the qualifying round on Sunday, with the finals scheduled for the next day, while heptathlete Sarah Dequinan will also make her Asian Games debut on the same day.
But all eyes will be on pole vaulter and Asian record holder Ernest John Obiena, who is heavily favored to rule his pet event in the finals on Sunday that will likely end the country’s long golden dry spell in the Asian Games.
Competing on Oct. 1 is Fil-Spanish John Tolentino in the men’s 110-meter hurdles heats and two-time SEA Games gold medalist William Morrison III in the men’s shot put finals, respectively.
Fil-Ams Eric Shawn Cray and Robyn Brown are set to compete on Oct. 2 in the preliminaries of the men’s and women’s 400-meter hurdles preliminaries, with the finals scheduled the following day when Ronnie Malipay vies in the men’s triple jump.
The quartet of Umajesty Wiliams, Michael del Prado, son of former middle-distance standout Isidro del Prado; Joyme Sequita and Frederick Ramirez are penciled in the men’s 4×400-meter finals on Oct. 3.
The current Asian women’s 400-meter hurdles champion, Brown will be joined by Maureen Schrijvers, Lauren Hoffman and Angel Frank as the last athletes to see athletic action for the Philippines in the women’s 4×400-meter relays on Oct. 4.
