Filipino-American sprinter Kristina Knott is in perfect shape after winning two golds and two silvers at the end of the 30th Southeast Asian Games athletics meet.
With the help of Italian strength and conditioning coach Carlo Buzzichelli and Roshan Griffin, the 23-year-old Knott managed to avoid injuries in all of the races that she joined.
Because of this, Knott is expected to do even better when she joins two big tournaments this February and March, events that will serve as her chance to make it to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“That’s six high-level performances in three days without injury, four medals, two golds and two silvers. And that is really a feat, to find that she could run at that level, six times in three days,” said Buzzichelli, who has been helping Knott stay in shape.
Buzzichelli has been behind Knott’s case since he came aboard the training program of the Philippine Athletic Track and Field Association.
And he is considered as one of the foremost strength training experts in the world as he has assisted athletes, who have gone on to win medals in major tournaments like the IAAF World Championships and broken national records as well.
During the biennial meet, Knott was fast as she became the second sprinter in 2019 to break Filipina icon Lydia de Vega-Mercado’s 33-year-old national record of 23.65 seconds in the 200 meters.
Knott submitted a 23.01-second clocking in the women’s 200-meter run finals of the SEA Games, even beating defending champion and Vietnam’s “Queen of Speed” Thu Chinh Le in the process.
Knott was after the Olympic qualifying standard of 22.8 seconds and her fiery pace also took down the 23.16-second Philippine record that Zion Corrales-Nelson set in the US NCAA West Preliminary meet in Sacramento, California last May 25.
“You can ask any international coach and he will tell you that that is an indication of a very robust athlete coming off a very good preparation,” said Buzzichelli, who believes that the pace of Knott’s training will leave most sprinters with an injured hamstring.
But she managed to take care of herself well after each race.
Because of this, Knott will be ready to take part in the 60-meter dash of the Asian Indoor this February in China and the World Indoors in March if she qualifies.
Her clockings in both tournaments will be the basis for her qualification for the Tokyo Olympics.