Tamil Nadu CM C Joseph Vijay grants Vithya Ramraj Rs 75 lakh after women's 4x400m relay gold at 2026 Asian Games
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay announced on 29 September 2026 that the state government will give Vithya Ramraj a cash incentive of Rs 75 lakh after she helped India win the women’s 4x400m relay gold at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
The Rs 75 lakh award is the third cash incentive announced for Ramraj during the ongoing Asian Games and takes the total state-provided rewards for her to Rs 1.55 crore. Vijay had earlier declared Rs 50 lakh for Ramraj and Vishal T K following India’s mixed 4x400m relay silver, and Rs 30 lakh for Ramraj after she won bronze in the 400m hurdles and broke PT Usha’s national record.
“Heartfelt congratulations and appreciation to athlete Vithya Ramraj for bringing pride to Tamil Nadu and India by winning the gold medal in the women’s 4x400m relay at the Asian Games currently being held in Japan,” Vijay wrote.
“In recognition of her outstanding achievement, the Tamil Nadu Government will provide her with a cash incentive of Rs 75 lakh. This is Vithya Ramraj’s third medal at the ongoing Asian Games,” Vijay wrote.
“She has achieved this historic feat through her talent, hard work and dedication. Vithya Ramraj’s success will inspire a new generation of young athletes in Tamil Nadu,” Vijay wrote.
“I extend my heartfelt wishes to Vithya Ramraj for many more successes in the future and hope she continues to bring pride to Tamil Nadu and India,” Vijay added.
Vijay has also announced rewards for other Tamil Nadu athletes at the Games: cricketer G Kamalini received Rs 75 lakh after India’s women’s T20 gold, while badminton player A Hariharan and pole vaulter Baranica Elangovan were each awarded Rs 30 lakh following their respective team bronze and women’s pole vault bronze. Squash players Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar were granted Rs 30 lakh apiece for mixed doubles bronze, and Abhay Singh received Rs 50 lakh after winning silver in men’s singles squash.
Ramraj concluded the Asian Games with three medals from three events. She began with a silver in the mixed 4x400m relay as India clocked 3:14.46, the quartet of Manu TS, MR Poovamma, Vishal T K and Ramraj finishing behind Bahrain, which set a Games record of 3:12.87.
In the women’s 400m hurdles Ramraj ran a personal best of 54.75 to take bronze and lowered PT Usha’s 42-year-old national record of 55.42, which Usha had set at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics; Ramraj had equalled that mark at the 2023 Asian Games and in Nagoya reduced it by 0.67 seconds, becoming the first Indian woman to break the 55-second barrier in the event.
India’s quartet of Kiran Pahal, MR Poovamma, Prachi and Ramraj finished the women’s 4x400m relay in 3:29.69 to beat Bahrain (3:30.21) and China (3:31.02). The victory completed Ramraj’s three-medal haul — a mixed relay silver, an individual hurdles bronze and a women’s relay gold — and gave India its first athletics gold medal of the Games.
