BERNALYN Bejoy took the top honors in the women’s 800-meter run at the Reno Indoor Track MLK Invite held last Sunday at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center in Nevada.
The 25-year-old Bejoy, who is training with Brazilian legend Joaquim Cruz in the United States, clocked 2 minutes and 13.51 seconds to finish ahead of Rhonda Yaeger (3:01.19).
Bejoy’s training with Cruz, who is regarded as one of the best 800-meter runners in history, came following her bronze-medal finish at the recent Southeast Asian Games.
Cruz, who owns a personal best of 1:41.77, won the gold medal at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games and bagged silver at the Seoul Olympics, is working out with Bejoy at the Chula Vista Elite Athletes Training Center.
The 62-year-old Cruz, who captured the World Championship title in 1983 in Helsinki, and secured two gold medals at the Pan American Games, is teaching Bejoy his knowledge, going into the 2026 season.
Bejoy placed third in the SEA Games with 2:10.6.
She had a season’s-best clocking of 2:06.83 during the heats of the Asian Athletics’ meet in Gumi, Korea.
Bejoy will compete in the Martin Luther King meet next week, before returning to Manila at the end of the month.
