Pole vaulter EJ Obiena won’t be alone in carrying the national color in athletics at the Paris Olympics.

Hurdlers Lauren Hoffman and John Cabang have earned their spots in the Summer Games opening on 26 July after making the cut in the World Athletics rankings to qualify.

Hofmann will be competing in the women’s 400-meter hurdles while Cabang joins the men’s 110-m hurdles competition.

The Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association (Patafa) secretary general Jasper Tanhueco was elated to have three track and field athletes in the French capital, the biggest turnout in any Southeast Asian nation for this year’s edition.

“We are incredibly proud and excited that John and Lauren, along of course with EJ, have qualified for the Olympics. This achievement is a testament to their hard work, efforts, and dedication,” Tanhueco told DAILY TRIBUNE.

“It’s not an easy feat for athletes to qualify for the Olympics. If I’m not mistaken, we have the largest number of athletes competing from Southeast Asia in athletics.”

Hoffman qualified after landing at No. 39 in the Top 40 of the World Athletics rankings for her event while Cabang is at No. 30.

The Philippines has already tied the 2016 Rio de Janeiro count of fielding tracksters Eric Cray, Marestella Torres-Sunang and Mary Joy Tabal.

Kristina Knott, on the other hand, can add to the list if she makes the Top 48 of the women’s 200-m event.

Knott, who competed in the Tokyo Games in 2021, is currently sitting at No. 57 with the final announcement of Olympians on 7 July.

Cabang and Hoffman are set to join the rest of the delegation in Metz, France for the training camp.

“We’re still waiting for Kristina until 7 July because there are next best athletes still in the rankings,” Tanhueco said.

“John is scheduled to be in Metz on 17 July while Lauren will be there on the 23rd.”

The Philippines now has 22 athletes in Paris delegation — the biggest since the country fielded a 26-man team in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics.