Olympic aspirant Knott cops silver in Austin track fest

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American sprinter Kristina Knott has ramped up her Tokyo Olympic bid as she snared a silver medal in the 93rd Clyde Littlefield Texas Relays at the University of Texas-Mike A. Myers Stadium in Austin Sunday.

The 25-year-old Southeast Asian Games double gold medalist clocked 11.54 seconds to finish behind eventual winner Kiara Parker, who timed in 11.20.

Her time, however, paled in comparison to the blistering 11.27 she registered in Des Moines, Iowa in August last year that erased the 33-year-old record of 11.28 set by legendary Lydia de Vega-Mercado in the 1987 Jakarta SEAG.

Knott is eyeing to qualify in two both the 100m and 200m events by making the Olympic standard time of 11.15 and 22.80, respectively.

But she still have time to warm up and make the necessary adjustments as she is scheduled to see action in the USATF Sprint Summit on April 3 in Prairie View Texas, Miramar Invitational on April 10 in Florida and Cardinal Meet set April 15 to 18 in Stanford. 

Knott is seeking to become the second from track and field to book a seat in the quadrennial event set July 23 to Aug. 8 and join pole-vaulter EJ Obiena there. 

Hurdler Eric Cray is another one from the sport with a legitimate chance of making the Tokyo cut.