A DAY after establishing the new national record in the women's 400m run, Filipino-American Naomi Kayla Johnson posted a silver medal finish at the 1st Asian U23 Athletics Championships in Ordos, China, Saturday night.
Johnson placed second in the final with 52.34 seconds, just 0.24 seconds short of the Philippine record she set during the heats on Friday.
Uzbek Jonbibi Hukmova logged 51.19 seconds to win the gold medal, while Jithma Shenari Gamage timed 53.10 for the bronze.
A UCLA standout, Johnson sports a 400m personal best of 51.79 seconds at the USC-UCLA Meet last May.
That was not indexed as the new national record since her federation transfer from the United States to the Philippines was only made official on June 16.
The 21-year-old Johnson made her national team debut in the 4x400m mixed relay, teaming up with Hussein Loraña, Jazzpeer Arcenal, and Lea Ordinario for a bronze medal on Friday.
Johnson's silver and bronze medals raised the Philippine haul to three after Hussein Loraña bagged a silver medal in the 800m race with 1:47.65.
