India’s athletics scene saw a stellar moment as Vithya Ramraj clinched gold in the 400m hurdles, rewriting the record books and stamping her ticket to the Asian Championships.

Vithya Ramraj Sets the Track Ablaze

On Day 3 of the National Federation Senior Athletics Championships, 26-year-old Vithya Ramraj delivered a standout performance in the women’s 400m hurdles. The Tamil Nadu sprinter clocked 56.04 seconds, shattering the previous meet record of 57.21 seconds set by Saritaben Gayakwad in 2019. Her timing not only earned her the gold but also met the Asian Championships qualification mark of 57.80 seconds set by the Athletics Federation of India.

Following Vithya, Kerala’s Anu R secured silver with a time of 58.26 seconds, and Tamil Nadu’s Ashwini R took bronze in 1:02.41. Notably, this was Vithya’s second medal at the event—she also claimed silver in the women’s 400m sprint a day earlier.

Men’s Events Deliver Competitive Finishes

Meanwhile, Karnataka’s Yashas P won the men’s 400m hurdles with a time of 49.32 seconds, narrowly missing the Asian Championships qualifying mark of 49.19. “There was no competition in the race, which was why I missed the Asian qualification mark,” Yashas remarked post-race.

JSW’s Subhas Das (50.11) and Gujarat’s Ruchit Mori (51.08) followed Yashas to the podium, claiming silver and bronze respectively.

Steeplechase Sees Strong Performances

With Avinash Sable absent from the men’s 3000m steeplechase, Gujarat’s Sunil Joliya Jinabhai seized the opportunity, winning gold in 8:43.82. He was closely trailed by Army’s Vikram Singh (8:44.30) and Haryana’s Rohit Verma (8:44.80).

In the women’s 3000m steeplechase, Madhya Pradesh’s Manju Ajay Yadav led the field, clinching gold with a time of 10:34.08. Rajasthan’s Nikita (10:51.96) and Haryana’s Chanchal (11:10.40) earned silver and bronze, respectively.