Thailand's 'Female Tiger Woods' moves ahead in 100m
hurdles
Dennis D. Gray (AP)
25 September 2000 - Trecia Roberts, dubbed the female Tiger Woods of Thai athletics, ran her season's best Monday and reached the semi-finals of the Olympic women's 100-meter hurdles.
Roberts, also a semi-finalist at the 1999 world championships, crossed the finish line in 12.96 seconds, ranking her 11th with three other hurdlers among the 16 who got past the second round of the event.
Her time bettered her recent 12.98 clocking at a meet in Sacramento, California. In the first round earlier Monday, she ran a 13.16, just squeezing into the second round.
The best time going into the semi-finals was a 12.66 by Olga Shishigina of Kazakhstan. Three-time world champion Gail Devers of the United States ran a 12.77.
Like golfing sensation Woods, Roberts has a Thai mother and African-American father. She also lives in the United States, where she has trained with highly regarded American coach Joe Gentry for 16 years.
Thailand, which regularly produces sprinters that make a mark in Asia, is not expected to win a medal in track and field at Sydney, although its men's 400m-relay team could run in the semi-finals.
The quartet of Kongdech Netenee, Ekkachai Janthana, Visanu Sophanich and Sitthichai Suwonprateep set an Asian record in the relay at last month's Asian championships in Jakarta. Their time of 38.80 beat the 39.03 that Chinese runners set in 1998.
Seven nations entered in the relay at Sydney have gone below 38.80 this year, led by the United States with a 37.65.
Roberts, who won the hurdles gold at the 1999 Southeast Asian Games, hit a hurdle and finished second behind China's Su Yiping with a 13.01 at the Asian championships.
Roberts strained her calf muscle earlier this year and had to miss two major meets in the United States. She was nursing a minor foot injury before the Olympics.
Born in Bangkok, the 29-year-old athlete has lived in the United States most of her life. Three years ago her mother brought her to Thailand to become a dual citizen and thus allow her compete for the country.
No Thai woman has made it to an Olympics track final. Roberts hopes a tattoo of the cartoon Roadrunner bird on her left thigh will help.
"The Olympics is unlike the Brunei Southeast Asian Games where she captured the gold medal. In Sydney, the pressure on her will be a hundred times more. But I'm confident that she will make her mark,'' her coach said before the games.