Jyothi Yarraji did not start her 100m hurdles heat at Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Saturday

Jyothi Yarraji did not start her first-round heat in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya on Saturday, with the official Asian Games website showing a DNS beside her name. She had been due to compete in Heat 1 for a place in the final.

The 27-year-old is India’s reigning silver medallist from the 2022 Hangzhou edition and holds the national record in the event, making her one of the country’s medal hopefuls at the Games. Yarraji was named to India’s 75-member athletics squad only after receiving fitness clearance at the last minute and had been slated to contest a single event at these Asian Games.

The Athletics Federation of India (AFI) said in a statement shared on their official X account: "Jyothi was fit and trained fully throughout the preparatory camp. During her warm-up for the women’s 100m hurdles today, she felt discomfort, and the coaching team decided to withdraw her from the race as a precaution." The federation added that the 27-year-old pulled out in the final minutes after feeling pain and discomfort during the warm-up.

Yarraji, who is from Andhra Pradesh, had undergone surgery on her right knee to repair an Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). She returned to competition in June 2026 following a year-long rehabilitation after the surgery in July 2025.

In late August she did not finish the 100m final at the World Athletics Silver Level Continental Tour event in Bhubaneswar and has been out of action since that race. She was also absent from the Indian Athletics Final Series at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi earlier this month.

Yarraji was scheduled to take part in only the women’s 100m hurdles at the 2026 Asian Games and, after withdrawing from her heat, she would now want to recuperate from the latest setback and return to action next season.