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Southern Railways Chief Athletics Coach Nizamudeen hailed Vithya Ramraj's record-breaking bronze medal at the Asian Games 2026 and expressed hope that she would clinch a gold medal as well in the women's 4x400m relay, scheduled for today (September 29).
The Indian athlete created history on Monday by surpassing PT Usha's 42-year-old national record in the women's 400m hurdles. Ramraj had earlier equalled the mark in the semifinals of the event at the Asian Games in Hangzhou. In Monday's final in Nagoya, the track at the Mizuho Stadium was moist in the lead-up to the race, with rain and drizzle leaving conditions challenging. Despite this, Ramraj cleared all 10 hurdles to finish third behind UAE's Mariam Kareem, who won gold in a Games-record 54.31 seconds, and Kazakhstan's Adelina Zems, who took silver in 54.58 seconds. Ramraj clocked a personal best of 54.75 seconds to win bronze and beat Usha's national record of 55.42 seconds, set at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Her effort brought an end to the long-standing record, which had remained untouched since those Games. "Vithya Ramraj has clinched a bronze medal in the Asian Games, creating a new national record with a time of 54.75 seconds, and she broke the 42-year-old record of India set by the Golden Girl of India, PT Usha, in the year 1984 with a timing of 55.42 seconds," Nizamudeen told ANI. The coach also backed Ramraj and the Indian women's 4x400m relay team to challenge for gold, with the relay event scheduled for Tuesday. "Tomorrow [Tuesday] she is also having a 4x400 women's relay. I hope that the team will also get a gold medal. She got one silver, one bronze, and is missing a gold. I hope she will get gold," he added. Ramraj will now turn her attention to the women's 4x400m relay, where she will have another opportunity to add to her medal tally at the Asian Games. (ANI)
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