PT Usha’s gallant run at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 400m hurdles final, where she clocked a blistering 55.42secs yet missed the bronze by a heart-breaking 0.01sec, was a milestone in Indian athletics. This was one national record that had stood the test of time.
It would take three more years for Vithya to shatter that mark. She claimed bronze, but it was when she saw her timing that Vithya broke into a big smile, jumping in sheer joy. This was one record she had been chasing for some time. Vithya had a good start and ran strongly through the bends. Coming into the home straight, she was looking for a strong finish but Mariam took the lead and Zems held on to grab the second spot.
Nobody came close to that time until Vithya Ramraj equalled it at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Vithya powered her way through the 400m hurdles final, clocking 54.75secs. UAE’s Mariam Kareem won the gold in 54.31secs — a personal best and Games record — while Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems claimed silver (54.58secs). It was the UAE’s first gold medal, delivered by 18-year-old Mariam. In the heats on Sunday, Vithya had clocked 55.73sec.
“Medal is in our hands, but time is not,” Vithya told PTI in Aichi-Nagoya. The special moment came on a rainy day at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on Monday. “This race will not come tomorrow. Today is our day, so I was going for the timing, not the medal,” she said.
As athletes, we compete to challenge ourselves, to push limits and, ultimately, to leave the sport better than we found it. When a young athlete comes along and surpasses a milestone that has stood for decades, it is a moment of pride — not just for the athlete but for the sport itself. “Vithya Ramraj breaking my 42-year-old national record in the 400m hurdles is an incredibly special moment for me. Anu Raghavan, the other Indian in the final, made a strong start before fading to finish fifth clocking 55.88s.
“Records are meant to be broken and there is no greater reward for an athlete than to see the next generation go beyond the boundaries we once set,” Usha, the Asian sprint queen of the 1980s, said. “The greatest legacy of a record is not how long it stands, but how it inspires the next athlete to dream of going beyond it,” said Usha, who is at the Games.
“My coach said we would go 54 seconds. Vithya, 28, said that after her performance at the Hangzhou, where she almost surpassed Usha’s record, she was seen as someone who would eventually claim the mark. Because i had not gone under 55 seconds for three years, “Everyone has been asking me.
I did it and I am so happy. The timing was so good. I am very happy. From the sixth hurdle to the finish line, it was all out. It has been a good outing for Vithya, who also produced a brilliant effort in the anchor leg of the 4x400m mixed relay final to help India claim silver. She had three medals from Hangzhou. Usha, who is at the Games as Indian Olympic Association president, acknowledged Vithya’s achievement. She called it an incredibly special moment.
My coach Nehpal Singh Rathore told me to go fast, then maintain it through the sixth hurdle. The athlete from Coimbatore will be going for her third medal on Tuesday, in the women’s 4x400m relay.
