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Indian athlete Vithya Ramraj clinched the bronze medal in the womens 400m hurdles at the Asian Games 2026 on Monday, clocking a personal best of 54.75 seconds and breaking a national record that had stood since 1984.
Vithya cleared all 10 hurdles to finish third in the final, producing a record-breaking performance in Aichi-Nagoya, according to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). She broke the previous national record of 55.42 seconds, set by legendary Indian athlete PT Usha at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Vithya had earlier equalled the same mark in 2023. Mariam Kareem of the UAE won the gold medal with a Games record time of 54.31 seconds, while Kazakhstans Adelina Zems took silver after clocking 54.58 seconds. Vithyas 54.75-second effort not only secured her the bronze medal but also marked a significant improvement on her previous best, as she became the first Indian to surpass the long-standing 55.42-second national record in the womens 400m hurdles. The achievement comes 42 years after Usha established the record, with Vithya now taking the top spot in the Indian record books in the event. Anu Raghavan, meanwhile, another Indian in the field, also clocked a personal best of 55.88s to finish fifth. India's medal tally has now risen to 40 medals, comprising four gold, 17 silver and 19 bronze, with the country currently placed 12th in the medal standings. (ANI)
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