Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, March 25) – Filipino-American track star Kristina Knott is set to compete in five tournaments in the next two months as she vies for a slot in the Tokyo Olympics.
The 25-year-old sprinter will start her bid to her maiden Olympic stint on Saturday as she will join the women’s 100-meter race in the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas.
Knott will next plunge into action in the Pure Athletics meet in Clairemont, Florida on April 3, where she is expected to compete in the 100-meter and 200-meter sprints.
A week after the Clairemont meet, Knott will join the Miramar Invitational in Florida. A yet to be determined high-level competition in Gainesville, Florida is her next stop on April 17, possibly competing in the 100-meter and 200-meter events.
Knott’s last tournament will be the 10th Savona International Meeting in Savona, Italy on May 13, where she can choose to participate in either of the two events depending on her prior tournaments’ results.
Knott, who is based in Florida for her training, shared to CNN Philippines that she continues to train well despite the pandemic and several weather disturbances that battered the United States.
She emphasized the importance of preparing and being healthy for the tough stretch of tournaments that she will join.
“Every race is important to be especially since I’m still going after hitting the Olympic standard,” said Knott.
Knott needs to record a time of 11.15 seconds in the 100-meter event and 22.80 seconds in the 200-meter run to set the stage for her Olympic debut.
Last August 30, Knott broke the national record for the women’s 100-meter dash after clocking in 11.27 seconds in her silver-medal finish at the Drake Blue Oval Showcase in Iowa. Her feat eclipsed sports legend Lydia de Vega’s 33-year-old national record of 11.28 seconds in the same event.
During her 2019 Southeast Asian Games stint, Knott also broke De Vega’s national record in the women’s 200-meter dash, as she recorded a time of 23.01 seconds to take home the gold medal.
