NEW CLARK CITY — Kristina Knott warmed up early in her breakthrough stint in the Southeast Asian Games.
Knott broke both the national and meet record in the women's 200-meter event during the qualifying heat of the track and field competitions early Saturday morning.
She ran the race with a record time of 23.07 to destroy the old meet mark of 23.30 set by Supavadee Khawpeag of Thailand during the 2001 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur.'
It likewise improved the national record of 23.32 seconds established by Zion Corrales Nelson in the U.S. NCAA early this year. Nelson broke the long-time mark of 23.35 owned by the great Lydia De Vega which was set in 1986.
The twin feat makes Knott the obvious favorite to win the gold in the event early Saturday.
Knott is looking to meet the qualifying standard of 22.80 in order to clinch a berth in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
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