Christine Sonali Merrill – (400 m Hul)

Published : 12:21 pm  July 27, 2012 |  No comments so far  |     |   (6)  |  

Merrill was born and raised in San Diego, California, USA where she attended Bakersfield Christian High School where she was part of the athletics team. She graduated as the Valedictorian and later went on to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering at the University of California, San Diego.

Merrill currently trains in the US under Joey Tosta. In 2009 she was the NCAA Division II National Champion. In 2010 and 2011 she was the champion at the Sri Lankan National Athletic Championships and remains the current national record holder in the Women’s 400 metre hurdles event.

She won bronze at the 2011 Asian Championships in Kobe, Japan and participated in the 2011 IAAF World Championships.

Qualification in Athletics for the Olympics requires achievement of the Qualification Standards set by the International Association of Athletics Federation while National Olympic Committees are entitled to one unqualified entry per gender in Athletics. Due to Merrill’s top ranking in Sri Lanka, she was selected as the female to represent the country in Athletics in the Women’s 400m Hurdles event in London.