MANILA, Philippines — Six-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Eric Cray is pushing himself to make the Tokyo Olympic cut in the men’s 400-meter hurdles.
The 32-year-old 2016 Rio Olympian clocked 51.6 seconds in copping a bronze medal in the 2021 Michael Johnson Invitational at the Baylor University’s Clyde Hart Track and Field Stadium in Waco, Texas.
Texas A&M’s Moitalel Mpoke took the gold in 50.53 while unattached Pablo Ibanez copped the silver in 51.32.
The 2017 Asian Championships gold medal winner’s time, however, was still far from the Olympic standard of 48.90.
But Cray is not about to give up, vowing to exert more effort to breach the standard and join gymnast Caloy Yulo, pole-vaulter EJ Obiena and boxers Eumir Marcial, Irish Magno, Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam in the quadrennial event set July 23 to Aug. 8.
Cray has shown he’s capable of it having set the national record of 48.98 in a race in Madrid, Spain five years ago.