Costa Rican athlete Daniela Rojas Gutierrez climbed 8 places in the world ranking, so she is now in the Olympic qualification zone. Daniela went from 41st to 33rd place in the 400-meter hurdles event (the best 40 athletes on the planet qualify) thanks to her good performance at the Spring Break Classic in Puerto Rico.

How is the world ranking defined? Each athlete is only added to the best 5 results they have achieved from July 1, 2023 to June 30, 2024. Through a weighted table, each result is awarded a certain number of points and those units end up being added to define the positions in the global list.

According to the recent update of the Olympic ranking heading into Paris 2024, Costa Rica has three athletes in the Olympic qualification zone. Daniela Rojas in the 400m hurdles, Gerald Drummond in the 400m hurdles and Andrea Vargas in the 100m hurdles would secure a spot at Paris 2024 if the qualification period ended today, March 20.

Gerald is in the best position, ranked 27th with 1229 points, and 40 athletes qualify. Andrea, on the other hand, must look for results that maintain her or make her rise in the global list, since she is in 37th position with 1200 points, and in her event 40 will advance to the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Another option to qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games is to achieve the Olympic record. In that case, they would completely disassociate themselves from the world ranking and would immediately have a guaranteed place in the highest competitions on the planet. Gerald and Andrea have come close to this mark, so it wouldn’t be strange if they achieve it over the next three months. The qualification period will end on June 30, 2024. Andrea, Gerald, and Daniela’s goal now will be to continue climbing positions in the global rankings to reach the deadline comfortably.

Republished with permission by Delfino CR
By Luis Diego Sanchez
Journalist since 2015 with experience in investigative and alternative sports. Passionate about stories and their social impact. Email: luisdiego@lajornada.cr

More related articles

THANK YOU!

Recipe of The Month – Ceviche

Recipe of The Month – Ceviche

Costa Rican Ceviche: the cool, zesty bite of pura vidaCosta Rica has a way of turning simple moments into mini-adventures—morning surf followed by strong coffee, live marimba drifting from the plaza, scarlet macaws flashing through the canopy, and business chats that...

Think it Over

Think it Over

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]   Moving to Costa Rica is thrilling, bewildering and wonderfully human all at once. I learned early that the country rewards those who arrive curious and willing to adapt. The moment I caught myself repeating, “That’s not how we do...

Luis Diego Sanchez