From Durham to Aichi-Nagoya

For Lauren Hoffman and Jason Lapidus, the journey to Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, has taken very different paths.

One began with a Virginia hurdler discovering that a 57-second 400-meter hurdles time might open the door to an international career. The other began on a tennis court, followed a family legacy into Duke, and eventually found a new sport halfway around the world.

Yet as the 2026 Asian Games approach, the former Blue Devils find themselves in the same place: preparing to represent the Philippines on one of the world's largest sporting stages.

The 20th Asian Games will take place Sept. 19-Oct. 4 in Aichi Prefecture and Nagoya, bringing together more than 11,000 athletes from 45 countries and regions across Asia. The Olympic Council of Asia describes the Games as Asia's flagship multi-sport event, with 43 sports and 469 medal events scheduled for 2026.

For Hoffman, a former Duke track and field standout who represented the Philippines at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the trip marks another chapter in a journey that began with her family.

For Lapidus, a four-year Duke men's tennis letterwinner, it represents a new sport, a new competitive challenge and another connection in a family story that has been intertwined with Philippine tennis for generations.

And for both, it is another opportunity to carry a little bit of Duke with them into professional sports opportunities.

Representing the Philippines

Originally from Haymarket, Virginia, Hoffman arrived at Duke as a hurdler and gradually developed into one of the best in school history. During her sophomore year, she ran 57.9 seconds in the event and realized a professional career might be within reach.

At the same time, she began looking at another possibility.

Her mother was born in the Philippines and immigrated to the United States with Hoffman's grandmother. Knowing this about her family's history, she began exploring what it would take to represent the Philippines internationally.

It was not an overnight process.

Obtaining citizenship and a passport took time, but the opportunity eventually became reality. Hoffman made her Philippines debut at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. A year later, she represented the country at the Paris Olympics in the 400-meter hurdles.

Lauren Hoffman_400mH_NCAA East Regional — Lauren Hoffman clears a hurdle competing for Duke at the NCAA East Regional

Hoffman finished fifth at the 2023 Asian Games and believes she has more to give. At 27, she also sees herself as a veteran who can help lead a younger Philippines delegation.

Hoffman wants to win a medal, but the medal is only part of what she hopes to accomplish. She wants to use the platform to encourage young Filipina and Filipina-American girls to see themselves in places they may not have thought possible.

That motivation comes directly from her family.

Her mother and grandmother immigrated to the United States and built a life that ultimately created opportunities for the generations that followed. Now Hoffman wants to return that gift by becoming the kind of role model she herself found in the strong Filipina women who came before her.

Her international career has already given her a platform to do that. The Asian Games will give her another.

From tennis to padel

Lapidus' path to the Philippines team looks considerably different.

A four-year member of Duke men's tennis from 2016-19, Lapidus was a standout doubles player for the Blue Devils and earned ACC Academic Honor Roll recognition in each of his four seasons. He was also an ITA All-Academic Scholar-Athlete three times.

Tennis eventually gave way to something new.

Jason Lapidus and a Lifetime of Duke Tennis — Jason Lapidus celebrates a point while competing in tennis for Duke University.

During the pandemic, Lapidus began transitioning from tennis to padel, a racket sport with similarities to tennis but its own unique techniques, strategies and demands.

He had already spent significant time in Manila, and he had also lived in Miami, where padel has developed a strong following. Slowly, the sport became more than something he played recreationally, becoming another competitive pursuit.

The technique is different, the decision-making is different, and the details are different. One of his coaches encouraged him to spend three months focusing almost exclusively on fundamentals and techniques. That meant embracing some of the less familiar elements of padel, including learning how to use the glass.

Lapidus' coach incorporated glass into practices so he could learn to read and use the walls rather than instinctively treating them as boundaries.

And now the transition has taken him to the Asian Games.

Lapidus had previously represented the Philippines internationally in tennis. In Aichi-Nagoya, he will do it in padel for the first time.

He considered the possibility of representing the United States but ultimately chose the Philippines.

That decision brought him back to his family's story.

A family legacy

For Lapidus, representing the Philippines is about much more than nationality.

It is about his mother.

His mother, Pia Tamayo, represented the Philippines in tennis and won a gold medal at the 1982 Asian Games in New Delhi.

Forty-four years later, her son will walk onto an Asian Games court wearing the same country's colors.

The moment is not lost on him.

It is another full-circle chapter in a family whose connection to tennis stretches across generations.

Lapidus' father, Jay Lapidus, is a Duke tennis legend who coached the Blue Devils from 1991-2008 and remains the winningest head coach in Duke men's tennis history. Jason followed his father's path to Durham, where he played for coach Ramsey Smith.

There is another full-circle connection there, too.

Jason's father coached Ramsey Smith when Smith was younger. Years later, Smith became Jason's coach at Duke.

Head coach Ramsey Smith (left) and Jason Lapidus — Duke men's tennis head coach Ramsey Smith (left) presents Jason Lapidus with an award.

For Lapidus, the relationships are impossible to separate from the opportunities that followed. "Relationships" is a word he returns to often when describing his journey and there is perhaps no better example than his connection with Hoffman.

The two former Blue Devils were connected through another Duke track and field standout, Canadian Olympian Maddie Price. Now Hoffman and Lapidus are preparing to represent the same country at the same international competition.

What Duke taught them

Their sports are different.

Their routes to the Asian Games are different.

But when asked how Duke prepared them for this moment, their answers sounded remarkably similar.

Balance.

At Duke, Hoffman learned how to balance athletics, academics, relationships and everything else that comes with being a student-athlete. More importantly, she learned she did not have to do it alone. Her teammates, coaches and broader Duke community became an essential support system throughout her career.

Coach Mark Mueller, Duke's associate head coach for sprints, was particularly important to her development. Mueller's impact on Hoffman's career was significant. In 2021, Hoffman won the ACC title in the 400-meter hurdles, earned All-ACC First Team honors and later captured NCAA bronze while earning USTFCCCA All-America First Team recognition. She also broke Duke's 400-meter hurdles record multiple times.

Lauren Hoffman_Bronze_NCAA Outdoors — Lauren Hoffman poses with her NCAA third-place trophy following her performance in the 400-meter hurdles.

For Hoffman, Duke taught her the importance of coaching, relationships and perseverance.

Lapidus remembers a similar experience.

Duke required him to wear a lot of different hats: student, athlete, teammate, friend and, eventually, leader.

The challenge was learning how to excel in all of them without losing sight of the things that made life meaningful outside of competition.

He also saw something at Duke that stayed with him: a standard of professionalism.

It was not simply about being professional in class or on the tennis court. It was about approaching everything with intention. That mindset has carried into his transition to padel and now into his preparation for the Asian Games.

For both former Blue Devils, the lesson is simple. Duke prepared them not only to compete, but to carry themselves into the world with purpose.

Coaching, relationships and perseverance

For Hoffman, that preparation is represented by the people who helped her along the way.

Mueller was one.

Price was another.

Athletes in Action, an organization supporting Christian athletes, also played an important role in her Duke experience.

And then there is her fiancé, Miles Mingo, whom Hoffman met while competing for the Duke track and field team. Mingo has been a constant source of support throughout her journey.

For Lapidus, the list begins with Smith and extends through the many relationships he developed at Duke and beyond.

One of the most meaningful connections is the one between his family and Duke tennis.

His father coaching Smith eventually led to Jason playing for Smith. His mother's career representing the Philippines eventually led Jason to represent the same country.

And a friendship formed through Duke eventually connected Jason with Hoffman.

At times, the path seems almost too circular to be coincidence.

One more chapter in the Duke connection

Lapidus remembers a moment that happened far from Durham. He was in San Francisco wearing a Duke shirt when he encountered people who had also attended Duke, people who had gone on to accomplish remarkable things in completely different parts of the country. The encounter reminded him of something he had experienced throughout his life: The Duke connection travels.

It is a network of people who carry their experiences from Durham into medicine, business, athletics, ministry, science, public service and countless other fields.

Hoffman and Lapidus are doing the same: carrying the Philippines (and Duke) with them.

The Asian Games will ultimately come down to competition.

Hoffman will step into the blocks chasing a medal and looking to build on her fifth-place finish from the previous Games.

Lapidus will compete in doubles, hoping to contend for a medal alongside his partner.

But both understand the opportunity itself is significant.

One will race.

One will take the court.

Both will carry their families with them.

And both will carry a little bit of Durham, too.

How to watch

Individuals can watch approximately 700 hours of free live Asian Games coverage through Willow Sports and three temporary Asian Games FAST channels beginning Sept. 19. Coverage is expected to air primarily between approximately 7 p.m. and 7 a.m. ET, corresponding with competition in Japan. The channels will be available through platforms including Fubo, Sling, Google TV, Xumo, Plex, Prime Video, Roku and Samsung, among others. (4RFV)

Duke current sophomore swimmer Heather White will be competing in the women's freestyle events for the Philippines during the Asian Games.

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