Brown has hat trick after 100m hurdles triumph
CAPAS, TARLAC—Heartbroken after a nonappearance in the Paris Olympics last year, Robyn Brown was on the brink of bidding her track-and-field career adieu.
The Asian championships gold medalist has ditched that thought, and is enjoying success in the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships.
“I came here with no expectations. At one point, I was going to quit after not making the Olympics,” Brown said after winning a third gold medal on Sunday at New Clark City Athletics Stadium. “So bringing myself back to the track has been an emotional performance for me.”
Accelerating halfway through like a speeding locomotive, the Filipino American ruled the women’s 100m hurdles in 13.85 seconds, beating Thailand’s Arisa Weruwanarak (14.15) and Malaysia’s Lee Yie Teng (14.48).
“Right now, I’m enjoying the place I’m at, enjoying training again, and just enjoying being back in the Philippines,” said Brown.
A ‘stepping stone’
The 30-year-old from Los Angeles, California, began the weekend with a convincing win over Paris Olympian Lauren Hoffman in the women’s 400m hurdles.
Brown’s 57.39 seconds in the 400m is now quicker than the 57.50-second output she had in that golden run in the 2023 Asian championships in Bangkok, Thailand.
“But I still have a lot of work to do. I’m going to try to get healthy and try my best,” said Brown.
This year’s Asian Athletics Championships is set for May 27-31 in Gumi, South Korea, where Brown is adamant to secure another gold medal on the continental level.
She added another gold medal after anchoring the national 4x400m mixed relay squad, which was also composed of Kharis Lark Rey Pantonial, Hussein Loraña and Bernalyn Bejoy, to victory.
“This is definitely a stepping stone in gearing up for the Asian championships, so I could secure my title,” said Brown after clocking 57.39 seconds in clinching the gold over Hoffman in the women’s 400m hurdles.
Meanwhile, Paris Olympian John Cabang Tolentino survived the challenge of former Southeast Asian Games champion Clinton Kingsley Bautista by clocking 13.98 seconds in the men’s 110m hurdles.
The Spain-based Cabang is still recovering from a leg injury that forced him to withdraw from the repechage round in Paris.
“I wasn’t able to train because of the injury on the right leg, the head leg. It has been a very, very hard road until now, so I am glad to be back,” said Cabang.
