Aichi-Nagoya, 28 September (H.S.): Indian athlete Vithya Ramraj won the bronze medal in the women’s 400m hurdles at the Asian Games 2026 and set a new national record in the process. Vithya clocked 54.75 seconds in the final to achieve the feat.

Vithya bettered the national record that she had jointly held with legendary sprinter P.T. Usha. The previous national record of 55.42 seconds was jointly held by Vithya Ramraj and P.T. Usha. Vithya had equalled the mark at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. She has now established a new national record by clocking 54.75 seconds in Nagoya.

Vithya had also produced an impressive performance in the heats. She qualified for the final with a season-best time of 55.73 seconds.

In the final, Maryam Karim of the United Arab Emirates won the gold medal with a time of 54.31 seconds, while Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zhems finished second in 54.58 seconds. India’s Anu Raghavan finished fifth with a personal best of 55.88 seconds.

This is Vithya’s second consecutive Asian Games medal. She had also won bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Earlier, she won a silver medal as part of India’s mixed 4×400m relay team at the 2022 Asian Games. She also secured bronze in the 400m hurdles at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships.

Hailing from Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu, Vithya represents India in both the 400m hurdles and the 4×400m relay. She was also a member of India’s 4×400m relay team at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Vithya has been a beneficiary of the Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) since December 2023. In preparation for the Asian Games, she received financial assistance under TOPS for training at the national coaching camp and the purchase of various equipment. During the Asian Games cycle, she received financial assistance of Rs 7,08,430 under TOPS and Rs 6,93,812 under the Annual Training and Competition Calendar (ACTC).

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar