Paris Olympics’ hopeful Lauren Hoffman did it again.
This time, the 24-year-old Hoffman smashed one of two Philippine national records in the 2024 Clemson Bob Pollock Invitational indoor athletics meet in Clemson, South Carolina.
A week after breaking the 600-meter mark, the Virginia-based Hoffman, who became eligible to represent the Philippines in October last year, grabbed the bronze medal with a record-breaking time of 53.91 seconds in the women’s 400-meters.
The 5’6” Hoffman’s training partner Angel Frank placed eighth in the women’s 200-meter run, but with a record-smashing clocking of 23.86 seconds.
“Natutuwa ako! I’m very proud of Angel and I. Our national records are pending ratification, but in the meantime, I am very excited that we were both able to execute record-setting performances this weekend,” Hoffman told the Manila Standard.
The old mark of 53.94 seconds, achieved by Kyla Richardson in the Martin Luther King meet in 2018, fell after Hoffman placed third behind the winner, Maya Singletary (52.34) and runner-up Ken’naria Gadson (53.69).
Frank, meantime, settled for fifth (54.07 seconds), before she later plunged into action in the women’s 200-meter run.
The time of the 22-year-old Frank, a student athlete from University of South Carolina, is considered a new national record after it surpassed Zion Corrales’ old mark old of 23.90 seconds in the Mount Pacific Sports Federation meet in 2020.
“Angel ran in the heat before me and when I saw her break the national record, it definitely lit a fire in me to pursue her newly established record. I’m thankful to have her as a training partner and I know we will continue to push each other to do great things this year,” added Hoffman.
The clockings of Hoffman and Frank will be submitted to the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association for verification and certification national records.
Hoffman is within the world ranking quota at no. 31 in the race to earn a seat in the women’s 400-meter hurldles in the Paris Olympics.
A total of 40 will be picked by the international federation to be part of the Paris meet if they stay within qualification ranking range or if they hit the entry standard time of 54.85 seconds between July 2023 to June 2024.
When the outdoor season starts late this year, Hoffman will see action in four IAAF meets to earn points and maybe the hit the entry standard time.
Last week, Hoffman smashed one of two Philippine when she and Yacine Guermali saw action in the Hokie Indoor Invitationals in the Rector Fieldhouse right in her own hometurf in Blacksburg, Virginia.
Hoffman ran the 600-meter finals in one minute and 30.31 seconds, to finish second. Her time was more than six seconds ahead of the old national mark of 1:36.93, which Daniela Quintero set in the On Your Mark meet in Sta. Barbara, California, back in 2020.