Nery Brenes is on the path to the Rio Olympics, and the speedy Costa Rican track star isn’t wasting any time in getting there.
On Thursday, Brenes won the men’s 400-meter dash at the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) World Challenge in Madrid with a time of 44.60 seconds.
The mark is a new personal record for the decorated Costa Rican, shedding .05 seconds off his previous best, which he set in 2012.
The latest victory comes just two weeks after Brenes won the SL Benfica Meeting in Portugal with a 400-meter time of 46.01 sec. during his European tour.
The Limón native has already qualified for this year’s Olympic Games in Rio de Janiero, Brazil, which begin on Aug. 5.
“It’s a great sign of things to come,” said trainer Emmanuel Chanto. “We’re preparing to get to the final in Rio de Janiero 2016 and this is the first time he’s run so consistently fast to begin a season.”
Brenes competed in the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. In 2012, Brenes won a gold medal at the World Indoor Championships in Turkey with a time of 45.11 sec. in the 400-meter dash.
