The 400-meter hurdler Robyn Brown, a Filipino-American, improved her chances of qualifying for the Olympics in Paris by winning the gold medal at the Royal City Inferno Track and Field Festival, which took place at the Alumni Stadium in Guelph, Canada.
Brown beat Canadian competitors Marie-Frederique Poulin (58.07) and Reyne Rodrigues (58.94), who placed second and third, respectively, with a time of 57.15 seconds.
In the Olympic qualifying standings for her event, 29-year-old Brown is presently ranked 40th. She must continue to rank among the top 40 competitors through June 30 in order to qualify for the Paris Games.
Lauren Hoffman, another Fil-Am hurdler and teammate, who now stands at 32nd in the women’s 400m hurdles standings, is also affected.
Hoffman and Brown have until June 30 to reach or exceed the entrance standard time of 54.85 seconds, which would allow them to both qualify for the Olympics in Paris.
Pole vaulter EJ Obiena, Tokyo Olympian Kristina Knott, Rio Olympian Eric Cray, John Tolentino, and Janry Ubas are among the other athletes representing the Philippines in the Olympics.
By June 30, these athletes must fulfill their individual qualifying places or Olympic admission requirements. In the women’s 200-meter sprint, Knott is currently ranked 32nd with a standard time of 22.57 seconds as of June 10. The top 48 competitors advance to Paris.
In the men’s 110-meter hurdles, Tolentino is ranked 28th; the top 40 finishers advance to the Olympics, with a 13.27-second entry requirement.
Since they are now outside of respective event’s qualification requirements, Cray and Ubas have more difficult obstacles to overcome. In order to qualify, Cray, who is placed 49th in the men’s 400-meter hurdles, must place among the top 40 or finish in the standard time of 48.70 seconds.
Only the top 32 competitors or those who meet the 8.27-meter entrance length will be guaranteed a spot in Paris in the men’s long jump, where Ubas is ranked 39th.
