Victoria Bossong

Victoria Bossong
Personal information
Born (2003-05-05) May 5, 2003 (age 23)
Home townCumberland, Maine, U.S.
Sport
CountryPhilippines
SportAthletics
Event
Middle-distance running
University teamHarvard
Achievements and titles
Personal bests800 m: 1:58.52 (College Station, 2026)
Indoor
400 m: 52.02 (Boston)
800 m: 2:00.36 (Boston, 2026)
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Philippines
Asian Games
Bronze medal – third place2026 Aichi–Nagoya800 m

Victoria Bossong (born May 5, 2003) is a Filipino-American middle-distance runner. Born in the United States, she competes for the Philippines at international level and won the bronze medal in the 800 metres race at the 2026 Asian Games.

Competing for Harvard University she helped set the US college record for the distance medley relay in 2024. She was runner-up in the 800 metres at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Early life and education

Bossong grew up in Cumberland, Maine in the United States.She attended Cheverus High School in Portland, Maine and graduated as valedictorian in 2021. She graduated from Harvard University with a degree in neuroscience in 2025.

Athletics career

High school

Whilst a high school student at Cheverus, Bossong competed as a sprinter and earned 14 individual state titles in indoor and outdoor track. In her final Class A state meet in 2021, she won the 100 metres and 400 metres and placed second in the 200 metres, and made a late decision to run the 800 meters which she also won. She broke the Maine state record for the 800 metres distance by five seconds in July 2021.

College

Running for Harvard University, Bossong was part of a distance medley relay, including Maia Ramsden and Sophia Gorriaran, that ran 10:37.55 at the Penn Relays to set a US college record on April 26, 2024.

Representing Harvard, Bossong was the 2025 Ivy League indoor champion over 400 metres with a time of 52.02 seconds. She finished second in the 800 metres at the 2025 NCAA Indoor Championships in Virginia Beach on 15 March. She also placed third overall with the women’s 4 × 400 metres relay at the championships in 3:30.49.

She ran an outdoors 1:59.48 personal best for the 800 metres at the Tom Jones Memorial Invitational in April 2025, to move to eighth on the NCAA outdoor all-time list. She was a finalist over 800 metres at the NCAA Outdoor Championships. In August 2025, she was a semifinalist in the 800 metres at the USA Outdoor Championships in Eugene, Oregon.

2026

After graduating from Harvard, Bossong turned professional with New Balance. On 24 January 2026, Bossong ran an Indoor personal best in the 800 m, running 2:00.36 at the New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, in Boston. On 6 June, Bossong ran a personal best 1:58.52 for the 800 m to place third at the USATF Lone Star Grand Prix in College Station, Texas. At the 2026 Ed Murphey Classic, she set a new Philippine record in the 800m with a time of 2:01.33.

In July 2026, Bossong switched her sporting nationality from the United States to the Philippines. At the 2026 Asian Games, she was part of the team that broke the Philippine record for the mixed 4 × 400 metres relay. She was also the fastest qualifier for the women's 800 metres final, prior to winning the bronze medal.

Personal life

Bossong is from Cumberland, Maine. She is of Filipino descent, by way of her mother, Catalina Yaco Atienza, a dentist who traces roots from Puerto Galera, Oriental Mindoro. She also played soccer in her freshman year and plays piano and violin. She plans to enter medical school once her track career is over.

References

  1. ↑ "Victoria Bossong". World Athletics. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  2. 1 2 Craig, Steve (April 29, 2024). "Cumberland native eyes 2024 Paris Olympics as member of Philippine national team". Pres Herald. Archived from the original on May 8, 2024. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  3. 1 2 Fleming, Deirdre (July 10, 2021). "Girls' outdoor track: Victoria Bossong, Cheverus". Pres Herald. Archived from the original on July 11, 2021. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  4. 1 2 "Victoria Bossong on her Asian Games debut, 800m goals & representing the Philippines". The Scorecard. Bilyonaryo News Channel. September 18, 2026 – via YouTube.
  5. 1 2 3 Chavez, Chris (host); Bossong, Victoria (guest) (February 3, 2026). After Harvard And A Degree In Neuroscience, Victoria Bossong Is All-In on track as a Pro. CITIUS MAG (Podcast). Archived from the original on September 29, 2026. Retrieved February 5, 2026.
  6. ↑ "College Women's Distance Medley Championship of America – Event 347". Penn Relays. April 27, 2024. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  7. ↑ Gray, Keenan (April 27, 2024). "Harvard Women Run 10:37.55 To Break Villanova's 1988 Record, With Ramsden Splitting 4:21.47". Runner Space. Retrieved September 5, 2024.
  8. ↑ "Victoria Bossong qualifies for NCAA track championship". Presherald.com. April 29, 2024. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  9. ↑ Gault, Jonathan; Johnson, Robert (March 16, 2025). "2025 NCAA Indoors Day 2 Men: Ethan Strand Gets Revenge on Gary Martin in 3K as Abel Teffra Takes Down Nathan Green in Mile". Lets Run. Retrieved March 16, 2025.
  10. ↑ "NCAA Division I Indoor Track and Field Championships". World Athletics. March 15, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  11. ↑ "VICTORIA BOSSONG 2ND PLACE WOMEN'S INVITATIONAL 800M - FLORIDA TOM JONES MEMORIAL INVITATIONAL 2025". Runnerspace. Retrieved January 31, 2026.
  12. ↑ "Victoria Bossong qualifies for NCAA track championship". Presherald.com. June 12, 2025. Retrieved May 31, 2025.
  13. ↑ "NCAA Division I Outdoor Track and Field Championships". World Athletics. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  14. ↑ Snyder, Paul (June 11, 2025). "Mid-D Underdogs To Watch At The NCAA Championships". Citiusmag. Retrieved January 24, 2026.
  15. ↑ "Isaiah Harris, Victoria Bossong advance at U.S. track championships". Centralmaine.com. July 31, 2025. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  16. ↑ "Hoey breaks world 800m short track record with 1:42.50 in Boston". World Athletics. January 24, 2026. Retrieved January 25, 2026.
  17. ↑ "Thomas scorches to 21.70 at Lone Star Grand Prix". World Athletics. June 6, 2026. Retrieved June 6, 2026.
  18. ↑ "AthleticLIVE". live.timinginc.com. Retrieved October 15, 2026.
  19. ↑ "Victoria BOSSONG | Profile". World Athletics. Retrieved July 7, 2026.
  20. ↑ Villar, Joey (July 8, 2026). "Fil-Am runner Victoria Bossong cleared to run for flag and country". BusinessWorld. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  21. ↑ Javier, Paige (September 24, 2026). "Asian Games: PH qualifies to 4x400m mixed relay final, breaks PH record". ABS-CBN News. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  22. ↑ "Asian Games: Victory Bossong fastest in 800m heats, makes final". Inquirer. September 28, 2026. Retrieved September 29, 2026.
  23. ↑ "Victoria Bossong claims 800m bronze in Asian Games debut". Rappler. September 29, 2026. Retrieved September 29, 2026.