Indian hurdler Vithya Ramraj won three medals at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games and broke P.T. Usha’s 42-year-old national record in the 400 metres hurdles.
Indian hurdler Vithya Ramraj says she still does not understand the attention surrounding her performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. She won three medals and set a national record in the 400 metres hurdles, breaking a mark held by P.T. Usha for 42 years.
Ramraj, 28, told The Hindu that she had also won three medals at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou and was unsure why she had become more popular this time. In Japan, she anchored India’s women’s 4x400-metre relay to gold, took bronze in the hurdles and helped the team win silver in the mixed 4x400 relay.
Ramraj clocked 54.75 seconds in the hurdles final. Indian Express and India Today also reported the time. It secured bronze and set a new Indian national record. Usha’s previous mark was 55.42 seconds and had stood since 1984.
Ramraj is pleased with the medal and record, but she and her personal coach, Nehpal Singh, have set a new target: breaking 54 seconds. She said Singh was unhappy with her time in Japan. She believes she does not face enough pressure in competition at home and said she would train harder to meet his goal.
She also described the team’s stay on a cruise ship in Japan before the Games. Ramraj recalled sharing a room with 20 people for six years earlier in her career and said the team had not received special arrangements while travelling for competitions. Her coach told her to ignore the conditions and focus on the race.
Ramraj credits the quality of her sleep during a three-month training camp in Spała, Poland, as a key factor in her Asian Games performance. She said she slept 10 hours a night and plans to maintain that routine as she pursues further improvements.
Ramraj is likely to make her World Athletics Championships debut in Beijing next year. Singh said his goal is to see her reach the final. The athlete says she will keep working toward a time below 54 seconds.