PHILIPPINE team aspirant Victoria Bossong, who plans to compete in Manila this May, surpassed the Philippine record in the women’s 400-meters over the weekend.
The 20-year-old Bossong, a third year medical student at Harvard University, clocked 52.16 seconds for the gold medal last Sunday in the 2024 Tiger Track Classic meet in Auburn, Alabama.
Rondajai Washington was behind the Fil-American Bossong for the silver in 54.96 seconds, while Latiana Acker, a South Alabama state champion, got the bronze in 55.25 seconds.
Bossong, who is among the 10 Fil-heritage athletes aiming to be in the ICTSI-Philippine Athletics Championships in the second week of May, went past the national mark owned by Kayla Richardson.
Richardson set and currently keeps the Philippine record she made in 2017 when she ran in 53.81 seconds at the Mt. San Antonio College Relays.
A sprinter who recently shifted to middle distance events and is competing in Division 1 NCAA athletics meets in the Eastern region of the United States, Bossong hopes to be part of the Philippine national team in the Paris Olympics, when she meets the entry standard in the women’s 800-meters.
Bossong’s clocking was more than two seconds lower than when she took the gold medal in the Kirk Baptiste Spring Break Meet women’s 400-meters last March 14.
PATAFA secretary general Jasper Tanhueco confirmed Bossong’s plans, as she is listed to join other Filipino-American Olympic hopefuls like Lauren Hoffman in the ICTSI Philippine Athletics Championships that will happen on May 8 to 12 at the PhilSports oval in Pasig.
Bossong ran the 800-meter finals of the Pepsi Florida Relays in the last week of March in two minutes and 92/100ths of a second for a gold medal — a clocking which was close to the Olympic entry standard time of 1:59.30.
The 24-year-old Hoffman, who recently shattered the 100m hurdles’ record, is one of the national team mainstays with a chance of making the Paris cut in the five-day meet.
Olympic ranking points from the World Athletics will be at stake during the competition, which will see 700 participants from at least nine countries.