A busy two-month stretch is ahead of Fil-American track star Kristina Knott, who will take part in four athletic tournaments in the United States, plus another one in Italy in her bid to boost her chances of qualifying for the Tokyo Olympic Games this July.
Knott, who broke the Philippine record for the third time this year in the heats of the women’s 60-meter run in the Arkansas leg of the World Athletics Silver Tour indoor meet at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville with her 7.22-second clocking, starts her loaded swing on March 27 at the Texas Relays in Austin, Texas, where she takes part in the 100 meters.
The 25-year-old Knott then joins the Pure Athletics in Clairemont, Florida on April 3 in the 200 meters and possibly, even the 100, should Rohsaan Griffin, her athletics skills/technique coach, decide to allow her to run it, too.
A week later, Knott plunges into action in the Miramar Invitational in Florida, before joining a still to be determined high-level competition in Gainesville, University of Florida on April 17, possibly both the 100m and 200m, depending on whatever event she needs to qualify at.
Knott then rounds out her tough stretch on May 13 in the 10th Savona International Meeting Area Permit European Athletics in Savona, Italy, where she may join the 100 or 200 or both, depending which one she needs.
Further to Knott’s Olympic preparations, she is now joined in Orlando, Florida by her strength and conditioning coach Carlo Buzzichelli, who is overseeing her training, focusing on power amplification. Griffin will take over at the Miramar tournament, to the time when they (Griffin and Knott) fly to Italy to reunite with Buzzichelli.
Should Knott qualify in Clairmont for the 200, she might still need to run it again in Savona for her to have a chance to be invited to the Diamond League in Rome.
The Diamond League, where Knott’s fellow athletic star in pole vaulter Ernest John Obiena is a fixture, is for the very élite track and field athletes. It is a secondary goal by the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association to the Olympic qualification for Knott to make it to the elite Diamond League list of competitors.
Knott’s preparation took a hit last month due to the harsh winter storm that hit Texas, Arkansas and other states in the South Central region of the United States.
Griffin said this following the cancellation of the fourth leg of the American Track League, also known as World Athletics Silver Tour indoor meet at the Randal Tyson Track Center in Fayetteville, Arkansas.
“The region has been hit with a horrible winter storm, snow, power outages, water outages, etc. and I’ve made a decision not to send her so as to not risk the chance of getting stuck there,” said Griffin in talks with the Manila Standard.
Knott seeks to become the women’s qualifier for the Philippines in the Tokyo Olympics and join pole vaulter Obiena, boxers Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno, and gymnast Carlo Yulo, who have already qualified.
