Philippine team aspirant and Filipino-American trackster Victoria Bossong finished fourth overall after running 2:00.79 to eclipse a Philippine record in the women’s 800-m run on Friday at the 2025 John Thomas Terrier Classic.
Bossong, a senior medical student-athlete at Harvard University, surpassed the national indoor mark currently held by Jessica Barnard, who ran in 2:13.44 at the Husky Classic in Seattle, Washington back in 2014.
Minutes later, Bossong, along with seniors Chloe Fair, Izzy Goudros, and sophomore Sophia Gorriaran, set a new school record in the women’s 4x400m relay, as the quartet submitted a time of 3:31.57.
Their clocking saw Harvard moving higher to no. 4 on the national performance list this season.
The 21-year-old Bossong, who is currently ranked at a career-high no. 139 in the world, has breached Barnard’s mark four times in a row.
Since 2022, Bossong has improved the record by almost 11 seconds, and four seconds since last year.
Bossong registered a time of 2:11.43 at Bruce Lehane Scarlet and White Invite in 2022 and brought it down to a 2:08.81 at the Clemson meet a year later.
In the same year, she crossed the finish line in ninth place in the 800m at the John Thomas Terrier Classic with a time of 2:04.72.
Previously, Bossong clocked 2:00.92 in the outdoor finals of the Pepsi Florida Relays last year.
Barnard also holds the Philippine national outdoor mark at 2:06.75, which she did at the Portland Track Festival back in June 2016.
Bossong, who competed for the first time in the Philippines last year, is expected to return to the country this year to join the Philippine Open Athletics Championships.
Bossong is knocking at the door of the Philippine Athletics Track and Field Association for her to be able to join the national team. Peter Atencio