FILIPINO-AMERICAN runner Naomi Kayla Johnson posted a national women’s 400m record of 52.10 seconds (pending ratification) during the heats of the 1st Asian U23 Athletics Championships in Ordos, China, on Friday.
Entering the final with the best qualification time, Johnson topped the previous Philippine record of 53.73 set by Angel Watson at the Duke Invitational in April 2024.
The 21-year-old Johnson goes for the gold in the final on Saturday evening.
A UCLA standout, Johnson officially switched from the US athletics federation to Philippines just last month on June 16.
She sports a 400m personal best of 51.79 seconds during the USC-UCLA Meet just last May.
Johnson made her international debut representing the Philippines on July 9 in the 4x400m mixed relay, teaming up with Hussein Loraña, Jazzpeer Arcenal, and Lea Ordinario.
The quartet clocked 3:25.28 for the bronze medal.
Meanwhile, Loraña bagged a silver medal in the 800m race with 1:47.65 — just 0.13 seconds shy of the national record (1:47.52) set by Carter James Lilly.
Lilly established the Philippine standard at the Bryan Clay Invitational in April 2019.