Vithya Ramraj breaks PT Usha’s long-standing 400m hurdles record to win bronze in Nagoya
Vithya Ramraj broke PT Usha’s 42-year-old Indian record in the women’s 400m hurdles at the Asian Games in Nagoya on September 28, 2026, running a personal best of 54.75 seconds to claim the bronze and prompting an emotional tribute from Usha.
PT Usha’s 55.42-second mark had been set at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and remained intact for more than four decades until Vithya first equalled it at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou and then surpassed it in Nagoya, lowering the time by 0.67 seconds. Usha, who is now the president of the Indian Olympic Association, publicly congratulated Vithya on the performance.
Ramraj’s 54.75 seconds was a personal best and made her the first Indian woman to dip below the 55-second barrier in the 400m hurdles. The improvement from 55.42 to 54.75 represents a 0.67-second reduction on the national mark she had previously matched.
Usha posted on X: “Congratulations Vithya!! Records are meant to be broken & there is no greater reward for an athlete than to see the next generation go beyond the boundaries we once set.” She added: “Vithya Ramraj breaking my 43-year-old national record in the 400m hurdles is an incredibly special moment.” Usha also wrote on X: “As athletes, we compete to challenge ourselves, to push limits & ultimately, to leave the sport better than we found it.”
The run in Nagoya was Ramraj’s second medal at the Asian Games; she had earlier helped India win silver in the mixed 4x400m relay, producing a strong final leg to secure second place for the Indian quartet. The hurdles bronze therefore added an individual podium finish to her relay success at the same Games.
UAE’s Mariam Kareem took the 400m hurdles gold in a Games-record 54.31 seconds, with Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems claiming silver in 54.58. India’s Anu Raghavan finished fifth in the final in a personal best of 55.88 seconds.
For Vithya Ramraj, the Nagoya final combined a medal and the national record she had been pursuing since first matching Usha’s mark in Hangzhou, producing both a personal best of 54.75 seconds and India’s first sub-55-second time in the event at these Asian Games.
