Cray leads Philippine hurdlers crew eyeing Paris tickets

DUBAI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES—Don’t be surprised if the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) will be the largest delegation of Team Philippines in the coming Paris Olympics.

By the end of qualification come June 30, at least four more track and field athletes are expected to accompany pole vault celebrity EJ Obiena to the glamorous French capital in July, according to Patafa president Terry Capistrano.

“We’re looking at sending five athletes to the Olympics. They could either hit the qualifying mark or perform well to boost their rankings,’’ Capistrano told the Inquirer.

Hurdlers John Cabang Tolentino, Eric Cray, Lauren Hoffman and Robyn Brown and sprinter Kristina Knott are well within range of the Olympic rankings in their respective events.

Tolentino, a full-blooded Filipino based in Spain, is No. 31 out of 40 possible Olympics qualifiers in the men’s 110-meter hurdles.

Cray, the six-time Southeast Asian Games champion and 400-m hurdles record holder, jumped several notches to 36th overall in the placings of his event where 40 participants will qualify directly to Paris.

The current Asian champion Brown and Hoffman are vying for Olympic seats as they stand 36th and 32nd in the ongoing Olympic ratings, boosting their aspiration to stay inside the top 40.“They will have more chances to improve their rankings since there will be more tournaments that offer Olympic ranking points before the qualification deadline,’’ said Capistrano, who likewise serves as team manager of the defending champion La Salle Green Archers in UAAP men’s basketball.

Return trip

In a sport where success in every event is measurable and the result could somehow be predicted, Capistrano certainly knows what he’s talking about.

Tokyo Olympian Knott remains in the hunt for a return trip to the Summer Games with her No. 42 ranking in the women’s 200 m, good enough to keep her inside the 48 entries who will secure spots for the global sports spectacle.

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Suiting up at least five Filipino tracksters in the Olympics is no doubt a feat in itself since no Philippine team in these Games has brought more than three athletes from athletics.

Cray qualified for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics along with long jumper Marestella Torres and marathoner Mary Joy Tabal.

“Our athletes are really working hard to meet the standards and we make sure to support them the best we can,’’ said Capistrano.

Except for Obiena, all of them are aiming to earn more ranking points in the ICTSI-Philippine Athletics Championships, an Olympic qualifier sanctioned by World Athletics and the Asian Athletics Association from May 8 to May 12 at PhilSports. INQ