For Victoria Bossong, it was an uplifting experience competing in the ongoing US NCAA Division 1 Track and Field Championships.
Not only did Bossong qualify in the women’s 800-meter finals, she anchored her teammates at Harvard University and made it to the 4×400 meter relay finals.
“It was also uplifting to run a fast anchor leg of the 4×4 in 51 seconds. I am aiming to lower my split into the 50s at NCAA Nationals,” said Bossong in an interview with the Manila Standard.
First, Bossong ran a faster time of two minutes and 2.05 seconds in the 800-meter heats on Saturday to earn a seat in the national finals, when action ended at the Eastern Conference First Round at the University of Kentucky track and field complex in Lexington.
The 21-year-old Bossong, a Philippine national team aspirant studying at Harvard University, shaved almost two seconds off her preliminary-round clocking in the quarterfinals, to place fourth in the first heat.
This put Bossong behind heat 2 top qualifier, Hayley Kitching of Penn State University, along with second and third qualifiers, Aniya Mosley of Ohio State, and Duke University’s Lauren Tolbert.
In her second race, the Harvard Crimson squad of Bossong, Chloe Fair, Izzy Goudros, and Sophia Gorriaran clocked their season best time of 3:30.49.
Bossong anchored them with fast time of 51.51 seconds, which eclipsed the Philippine national mark of Kayla Richardson at 53.81, achieved back in 2018 in the Mt. San Antonio College Relays in Walnut, California.
Despite having a fast time in the 800s, Bossong said she will try to have a better execution in the nationals.
“I was disappointed with the time I ran. I got boxed in early in the race which led me not to execute well. I am giving myself some grace, given the unfortunate circumstances I had gone through, while also holding myself accountable and learning from my mistakes in the race,” said Bossong.
