BANGKOK—Olympians Lauren Hoffman and John Cabang Tolentino launch their quest for excellence in the 33rd Southeast Asian Games centerpiece event of athletics on Friday here at the Supachalasai Stadium.
Hoffman will represent the Philippines for the first time in the biennial meet a year and a few months since placing seventh and last in the 400-meter hurdles event at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games.
Hoping for redemption, the 26-year-old North Carolina Fil-Am hurdler said: “My first SEA Games, I am excited to compete here. My goal is to win, and I am confident that I can. I am so happy to see my other teammates here, my fellow Filipinos.”
She will see action in the women’s 110-meter hurdles, with the qualifiers set at 4:30 p.m. and the finals at 6:15 p.m. Hoffman’s next event is on Monday, the 400m hurdles.
Cabang Tolentino, on the other hand, competes in the men’s 110-m hurdles— his only event — at 5 p.m.
He is hoping to improve on his bronze medal finish in the Cambodia games two years ago.
After finishing fifth in the 400-m women’s hurdles in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games and dealing with Achilles pain aside from recovering from hernia surgery last year, Hoffman believes she can get the job done in her SEA Games debut.
She trained in Durham, North Carolina before flying to Manila last Dec. 6 to acclimatize and train with the Philippine team. She arrived here last Tuesday along with some members of the 60-man athletics team
“I will just do my best despite the situation, but I am okay after my surgery,” Hoffman, who also served as a human resources consultant in a company in North Carolina, added. “I am glad to see all my teammates and I hope we can do well here.”
