Panama runner qualifies for Olympics marathon

PANAMANIAN  runner Jorge Castelblanco  has qualified  to compete in the marathon at the 2016 Summer Olympics, after surpassing  the minimum mark while competing in Hamburg, Germany, on Sunday April 17

According to the Panama Olympic Committee, Castelblanco, from Chiriqui, recorded a time of 2 hours, 15 minutes and 57 seconds, in the  Haspa marathon in Hamburg The required mark is 2h 17m.

“Thank God I am the first to qualify for the Olympics in the marathon mode,” he said  from Germany.

Castelblanco, 28, excelled in racing short distances and for two years began to participate in the the marathon (42 kilometers 195 meters). His best previous achievement was winning the Panama International Marathon with a time of 2h, 32m, 58s in  November 2015