Filipino-American sprinter Victoria Bossong continues to knock on the door of Filipino athletics’ officials for a possible shot of representing the Philippines in the 2024 Paris Olympics and in future international meets.
The 20-year-old Bossong, a third-year student-athlete at Harvard University, almost hit the entry standard in the 2024 Paris Olympics after surpassing the Philippine national records in two outdoor meets last March.
Bossong, who is preparing for the coming season of the US National Collegiate Athletic Association, earned the no. 1 ranking in 2024 NCAA Division I East Outdoor Qualifying List.
In the last weekend of March, Bossong ran the 800-meter finals of the Pepsi Florida Relays in two minutes and 92/100ths of a second for a gold medal and a time that was close to the Olympic entry standard time of 1:59.30.
Her clocking was considered the best time in the NCAA pre-season, much better than what Hayley Kitching of Penn State submitted at 2:01.17 for the silver in the same event.
Observers now see Bossong as one of the fastest runners in the collegiate pre-season this year.
Judy Kosgei of South Carolina also had the third best time of the season at 2:01.66, when she competed with Bossong.
Bossong’s supporters said she is now being considered for the US national team.
But her heart and mind tell her to compete for the Philippines, since Bossong started sending feelers to the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association last year.
A week earlier in March, Bossong sprinted to a gold medal in 2:02.42 in the Hurricane Collegiate Invitationals, also in Florida.
Her times surpassed the 2:13.44 Philippine national mark of Jessica Barnard, achieved back in 2014.
So far, Bossong already has four gold medals this year.
Bossong’s first came in the first week of March at the IC4A/ECA Indoor meet where she ran the women’s 400-meters in 52.72 seconds.
Her time was even better than the clocking of Lauren Hoffman, who established a Philippine national record of 53.71 last Feb. 9 at the Tiger Paw meet.
PATAFA secretary general Jasper Tanhueco said they have noted Bossong’s performance, taking her situation in consideration.
Bossong, according to Tanhueco will get her shot at representing the Philippines once she has completed the process of obtaining a Philippine passport.
The family of Bossong originated from Puerto Galera in Oriental Mindoro. She graduated from Cheverus High School and was raised Cumberland, Maine.
Her mom, Dr. Catalina Yaco Atienza, a dentist, graduated from Centro Escolar University College of Dentistry.
In her third year in college, Bossong became a member of the first All-Ivy indoor and outdoor teams, with the 500m and 4x400m dash and relay indoor and the 400m dash outdoor squads as well.