By ADRIAN STEWART CO

Negrense Bernalyn Bejoy was beyond grateful after being given an opportunity to represent Team Philippines in the 32nd Southeast Asian Games (SEAG) in Phnom Penh, Cambodia.

The Bacolod City-native Bejoy had a fruitful campaign in the just-concluded biennial games after taking home a silver medal in one of the two track-and-field events that she has participated in.

Bejoy, along with Jessel Lumapas, Robyn Brown and Maureen Schrijvers, captured silver in the women’s 4×400-meter relay event with a time of three minutes and 37.75 seconds.

The clocking of the quartet broke a national record in the 4×400-m relay set by the late Lydia de Vega-Mercado, Elma Muros, Perla Balacutan, and Rhoda Sinoro three decades ago.

“The best feeling ever,” Bejoy said on the new national record.

“I just want to thank everyone who has supported me. Definitely, this national record is God’s will and I am happy to be part of it,” she added.

Aside from the 4×400-m relay, Bejoy also recorded a personal best of two minutes and 9.20 seconds in the women’s 800-m run, but the feat was good for fourth place in the event.

“Fourth placer but got my personal best in the event,” Bejoy said.

“I know that this is not the last time that I will be representing the country and it is always an honor to wear the Philippine colors,” she added.

This was the third SEA Games appearance of the De La Salle University student in the biennial games after falling short of her events during the 2019 SEA Games held in the country.

However, Bejoy bounced back with two bronze medals during the 31st SEA Games last year in Hanoi, Vietnam in the women’s 4×400-m relay and 4×400-m mixed team relay.

Overall, the Philippine track-and-field team finished with four golds, 10 silver and eight bronze medals in the Cambodia SEA Games./ASC, WDJ