By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Filipina-American runner Kristina Knott is confirmed to skip the 2022 Southeast Asian Games after being diagnosed with a plantar fasciitis tear on her left foot.
Knott’s absence in the nearing prestigious sports tournament will count out one potential gold medal for the Philippines.
It was the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (PATAFA) that confirmed the development regarding Knott’s final status with only a week before the tournament kicks off.
Knott also announced that she won’t be joining the team when they represent the country in Vietnam during a virtual press conference.
“I’ll be out for two weeks, and that will be leading into the SEA Games. We made the decision to pull out and recover so that I can be ready for the Asian Games and the World Championships,” said Knott.
The superstar member of the Philippine national track and field team was supposed to defend her gold medal in the 200-meter dash event which she won during the last edition of the SEA Games.
During an MRI test last January, Knott was already diagnosed with a fasciitis tear and was re-confirmed during her second test.
Knott was bound for another stellar SEA Games exhibition after breaking several records a few years ago. She first broke Lydia De Vega Mercado’s national record set way back in 1986 during her 2019 participation.
The Fil-Am sprinter recorded 23.01 seconds held at the New Clark City Stadium and also became the new SEA Games record after overtaking the previous 23.30 seconds record by Supavadee Khawpeag last 2001.
“We will still be formidable, competitive, and we’ll have a good fight. That’s part of the sport. We just have to deal with it. One thing that stands out to us Filipinos is we’re able to improvise and improvise well,” said PATAFA president Philip Ella Juico.
