With a little more than two months left before the opening of the 2008 Beijing Olympics, the Philippine Amateur Track and Field Association (PATAFA) is still optimistic of getting additional entries to the quadrennial sportsfest.

Aside from the two automatic slots, PATAFA President Go Teng Kok is hoping that long jumpers Henry Dagmil and Maristella Torres and hurdler Sheena Atilano will make it on their own.

The three are currently training intensively in the United States.

“If they can better their personal best, then they can make it,” Go said during yesterday’s SCOOP sa Kamayan Forum in Padre Faura.

The International Olympic Committee gives each nation two automatic representatives — one male and one female — in the sport even without having passing the Olympic standard.

Dagmil appears to have an inside track of qualifying since best jump of 7.87 meters is just 1.8 meters shy of the qualifying standard.

Dagmil set his record in winning the gold medal during the 2007 Thailand SEA Games.

Torres holds the Philippine record of 6.63m in the distaff side which is just 0.03m short of the qualifying record.

Atilano, for her part, has a personal best of 13.65sec which is five seconds slower than the Olympic standard time.

PATAFA has yet to get updates from the three athletes’ latest performance as they have been competing in different local tournaments there.

“It would be better if we could have more than two representatives in the Olympics,” Go said. “The goal here is to surpass their performances against tough athletes around the world.”