New Delhi, September 28, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Indian Olympic Association (IOA) President PT Usha hailed Vithya Ramraj for her landmark performance at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, describing it as an “incredibly special moment” after the Indian athlete broke Usha’s long-standing 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 statement.
“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 delivered 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.
She improved Usha’s previous national record of 55.42 seconds by 0.67 seconds. Usha had set the record at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she finished fourth in the final.
At the 2023 Asian Games, Ramraj had equalled Usha’s record and won a bronze medal. Three years later, she surpassed the mark and secured her second consecutive bronze at the continental event.
Mariam Kareem of the UAE won gold in a Games-record time of 54.31 seconds, while Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems claimed silver with a personal best of 54.58 seconds.
Ramraj remained in contention for a medal throughout the race but could not match Kareem’s late surge. Her time of 54.75 seconds, however, secured her a place on the podium and set a new national record.
India’s Anu Raghavan also delivered a strong performance in the final, improving her personal best from 56.54 seconds to 55.88 seconds to finish fifth.
For Ramraj, the bronze was her second consecutive Asian Games medal, following her third-place finish in Hangzhou in 2023. Her latest performance also brought Usha’s long-standing national record to an end.
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