Vithya Ramraj Shatters 400m Hurdles Record at Asian Games 2026
Historic Achievement at the Asian Games
Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 28: Renowned Indian athlete PT Usha extended her congratulations to Vithya Ramraj after the latter set a new national record in the women's 400m hurdles during the Asian Games 2026.
On Monday, Vithya Ramraj secured a bronze medal in the women's 400m hurdles, achieving a personal best of 54.75 seconds and breaking a national record that had remained unchallenged since 1984. She successfully navigated all ten hurdles to finish third in the final, delivering a remarkable performance in Aichi-Nagoya.
Vithya surpassed the previous national record of 55.42 seconds, which was established by the legendary PT Usha at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Earlier this year, Vithya had matched the record before exceeding it at the Asian Games.
PT Usha, who currently serves as the President of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA), expressed her pride in Vithya's accomplishment, emphasizing that the essence of a record lies in its ability to inspire future generations to surpass it.
“Congratulations Vithya!! 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. Vithya Ramraj breaking my 43-year-old national record in the 400m hurdles is an incredibly special moment for me. 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. 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,” she stated.
While Vithya Ramraj earned the bronze medal in the women's 400m hurdles, Mariam Kareem from the UAE claimed the gold medal with a Games record time of 54.31 seconds, and Kazakhstan's Adelina Zems secured the silver with a time of 54.58 seconds.