Fil-Am ace awaits PH passport
Filipino American runner Victoria Bossong continues to impress on the track, clocking a stellar 2:00.78 in the women’s 800 meters at the 2025 Eagle Elite Invitational in Cambridge, Massachusetts.
Her time matched the long-standing Asian indoor record set by Japan’s Miho Sugimori in 2002.
However, despite her record-worthy performance, the 21-year-old Harvard medical student won’t see her name in official Philippine athletics records—at least not yet. Bossong has yet to secure a Philippine passport, which would allow her to compete under the country’s flag.
“I’ve been praying that my citizenship is granted so I can represent the Philippines,” said Bossong, whose performance suggests she could be a top contender at the Asian and World Indoor Championships.
Bossong’s time is significantly faster than last year’s World Indoor 800-m champion, Ethiopia’s Tsige Duguma (2:01.90), and far ahead of Iran’s Toktam Dastarbandan, who won the 2024 Asian Indoor title in 2:09.17. She could also pose a serious challenge to reigning Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Nguyen Thi Thu Ha of Vietnam (2:08.55).
“My training shows I’m capable of even faster times,” said Bossong. “Running two minutes in both my 800-m races this year has boosted my confidence.”
At the national level, she has unofficially shattered the Philippine indoor record of 2:13.44 set by Jessica Barnard—five times.
