Vithya Ramraj breaks national 400m hurdles record to win bronze at Asian Games in Nagoya

Vithya Ramraj rewrote the Indian 400m hurdles national record with a time of 54.75 seconds to claim bronze at the Asian Games in Nagoya on Monday, September 28, 2026. The 28-year-old achieved the mark three years after equalling P.T. Usha’s 55.42s record from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

P.T. Usha’s long-standing mark had stood for decades and Vithya had been attempting to better it since she matched it at the previous Asiad. The race took place on a wet, humid evening at the Games, conditions that both athletes said affected preparations and performance. Vithya’s new national record ended a personal pursuit that followed her equalling Usha’s time three years earlier.

Reflecting on encouragement from Usha, Vithya said: “I met Usha ma’am a year ago and she said, go for 54 seconds. She encouraged me. So doing this today makes me so happy. Everyone’s been asking me for the past three years when I will do 55.4 seconds again, there was pressure,” she admitted.

She described the conditions around the event and the impact on her warm-up: “Back home we never train in the rain for hurdles because there is always a concern about getting injured. Thankfully it stopped during the race but it was pouring during warm-up and I was only praying it to stop, if only for the race duration.”

In the javelin, Yashvir, drafted as a last-minute replacement for Neeraj Chopra, threw a personal best of 85.72m to win silver amid the same rainy conditions. The selection came after Neeraj’s withdrawal, and the performance provided a podium finish under adverse weather.

On the difficulties posed by the rain and his satisfaction with a PB, Yashvir said: “The grip was getting slippery in the rain and it was difficult to find the rhythm or proper speed during run up. You are also careful of avoiding injuries so to get a PB (85.72m) amidst all this is satisfying,” Yashvir said. The Glasgow Commonwealth Games bronze medallist also acknowledged room for improvement: “When Neeraj bhai got injured, he messaged me saying I should talk to the officials and try and get my name entered as replacement. Technique today could have been better, we will work on it,” he added.

Vithya’s 54.75s secured the 400m hurdles bronze and established a new national record, while Yashvir’s 85.72m earned him silver in the javelin at the Asian Games in Nagoya on September 28, 2026.