Filipino-American standout Zion Corrales-Nelson has surpassed a 33-year-old Philippine national record that was set by Lydia de Vega-Mercado.
The 20-year-old Corrales-Nelson submitted a clocking of 23.18 seconds during the West Preliminary National Collegiate Athletic Association Finals in Sacramento California on May 23.
She is currently being coached by Mike Gipson and Tony Sandoval of the University of Berkeley.
According to information released on the meet’s official website, there was a +1.5 meters/second tailwind when Corrales-Nelson reached the finish line.
Her clocking eclipsed the 23.35 second mark that was set by de Vega-Mercado during a meet in Walnut, California back in 1986.
Not only did Corrales-Nelson Zion rip the national mark, she also surpassed the Southeast Asian record of 23.30 of Suphavadee Khawpaeg of Thailand.
Khawpaeg’s time was set during the 2001 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.
Corrales is a relative of former Asian Games 100m record holder Rogelio Onofre.
The puts Zion at the top of the SEA Rankings for 2019, and makes her a top candidate for the national team that is being readied for the 30th SEA Games.
With the Games coming up, Corrales now has the best time within the region in the 200 meters.
In the 100-meter dash, Zion timed 11.41 seconds in the finals after clocking 11.5 seconds in the heats.
Her clocking put Corrales within range of de Vega-Mercado’s national record of 11.28.
She is among two Fil-Am sprinters who are targeting de Vega-Mercado’s national century dash mark.
The other is Kristina Knott, who recorded 11.44 seconds back in 2016.
The Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association has yet to certify the performance of Corrales-Nelson.
If the PATAFA does, the standing national 100m mark of 11.28 set in the 1987 SEA Games in Jakarta will be the last remaining sprint record held by De Vega-Mercado.
