Knott breaks national record in women’s 100m, inches closer to Olympic qualifying standard

Sprinter Kristina Knott adds another gold medal to her loot in the Philippine Athletics Championships as she rules the women's 100m in record-breaking style

MANILA, Philippines – Filipina-American Kristina Knott reset her own national record on the way to ruling the women’s 100m in the Philippine Athletics Championships at the PhilSports Track Oval in Pasig on Friday, May 10.

Knott clocked 11.2 seconds in the heats to erase her previous mark of 11.27 seconds she set in the Drake Blue Oval Meet in the United States in 2020 as she inched closer to hitting the qualifying standard for the Paris Olympics.

To earn her Olympic spot in the women’s 100m, Knott needs to meet the qualifying standard of 11.07 seconds.

Although not as fast as she was in the heats, Knott still topped the finals with a time of 11.51 seconds as she added another gold medal to her loot that included the women’s 200m mint.

“I’m happy! The last time I doubled and I did both (100m and 200m) was in 2019. It feels good to come back after so many years and get both,” said Knott.

A Tokyo Olympian, Knott also hopes to book her Paris berth in the women’s 200m, where she is in the running through the world rankings.

With 19 athletes reaching the qualifying standard of 22.57 seconds in the women’s 200m, 29 of the next highest-ranked athletes are in line to complete the 48-woman cast.

Considering the limit of three athletes per country, Knott sits at the No. 46 spot.

The 28-year-old sprinter will continue her Olympic chase as she joins competitions in Spain. – Rappler.com