New Delhi: Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha hailed Vithya Ramraj’s landmark performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, saying it was an “incredibly special moment” to see the Indian athlete break her 42-year-old national record in the women’s 400m hurdles.
“Congratulations, Vithya!! Records are meant to be broken, and there is no greater reward for an athlete than to see the next generation go beyond the boundaries we once set,” Usha said in a release.
“Vithya Ramraj breaking my 43-year-old national record in the 400m hurdles is an incredibly special moment for me. As athletes, we compete to challenge ourselves, to push limits and, ultimately, to leave the sport better than we found it,” she added.
Usha said seeing a young athlete surpass a milestone that had stood for decades was a moment of pride not just for the athlete but also for the sport.
“When a young athlete comes along and surpasses a milestone that has stood for decades, it is a moment of pride—not just for the athlete, but for the sport itself,” she said. “The greatest legacy of a record is not how long it stands, but how it inspires the next athlete to dream of going beyond it,” Usha added.
Ramraj produced the record-breaking performance in the women’s 400m hurdles final on Monday, clocking a personal best of 54.75 seconds to win the bronze medal.
The Indian improved Usha’s previous national record of 55.42 seconds by 0.67 seconds. Usha had set the mark at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she finished fourth in the final.
At the 2023 Asian Games, Ramraj had matched Usha’s record, earning her a bronze medal as well. Three years later, she not only surpassed that mark but also won her second consecutive bronze at the continental event.
Mariam Kareem from the UAE won the gold medal with a time of 54.31 seconds, a Games record, and Adelina Zems of Kazakhstan secured silver with a personal best of 54.58 seconds.
Ramraj stayed in contention for the medals throughout the race but was unable to equal Kareem’s late surge. Nevertheless, her time of 54.75 seconds earned her a spot on the podium and changed the nation’s record books.
Anu Raghavan from India also gave a solid performance in the final, reducing her personal best to 55.88 seconds and thus finishing in fifth place. Previously, her best time had been 56.54 seconds.
For Ramraj, this bronze medal is her second in a row at the Asian Games, having come third in Hangzhou in 2023. It is also the result that has now put an end to Usha’s long-standing national record.
(IANS)
