Vithya Ramraj had already entered Indian athletics history by matching PT Usha’s 42-year-old national record. Three years later, the Indian hurdler finally went past the landmark mark, producing a record-breaking performance at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya.
The 27-year-old clocked a personal best of 54.75 seconds to win bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles, breaking the national record that PT Usha had set at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. According to The Times of India, Usha’s 55.42-second mark had remained untouched for more than four decades before Ramraj finally lowered it.
Ramraj had first equalled Usha’s record at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. She clocked 55.42 seconds to win bronze, matching the mark Usha had set on August 8, 1984. As reported by The Times of India, Ramraj’s latest performance in Nagoya saw her improve that record by 0.67 seconds, while also earning her a second individual Asian Games medal.
The historic run came in a competitive final. UAE’s Mariam Kareem won gold in a Games-record 54.31 seconds, while Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems took silver in 54.58. Ramraj finished third in 54.75 seconds, a personal best that simultaneously secured the bronze medal and rewrote the Indian national record.
The Times of India reported that Ramraj’s achievement came after she had already won silver as part of India’s mixed 4x400m relay team earlier in the Games.
Her compatriot Anu Raghavan finished fifth in 55.88 seconds, also recording a personal best. The result added another strong performance for Indian athletics on a day when the country continued to collect medals across track and field events.
Ramraj’s latest medal also adds to an already impressive Asian Games record. At the 2023 Hangzhou Games, she won bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles and silver medals in both the women’s 4x400m relay and mixed 4x400m relay. At the 2026 Games, she added another silver in the mixed 4x400m relay before claiming bronze in the hurdles. The Times of India described the new record as a landmark moment for Indian athletics after Usha’s mark had stood for 42 years.
A trucker’s daughter who refused to give up
Behind Ramraj’s record-breaking performance is a journey shaped by financial challenges, family support and several setbacks. The daughter of a truck driver, Vithya grew up in a modest family alongside her twin sister Nithya, who is also a hurdler.
Their mother enrolled both sisters at the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu hostel in Erode, where they could receive athletic training and support that the family could not easily afford. In an earlier interview with The Times of India, Vithya explained how she first found her way into athletics.
“At a parent-teacher meeting, my PE teacher suggested sports for us. My mother chose athletics since it offered more visibility than team games. The sports hostel also helped, as my family couldn’t afford the expenses,” Vithya had told Times of India in 2025.
After completing school, Vithya pursued a BBA degree through the sports quota and joined the national camp at NIS Patiala in 2018. Her progress, however, was not straightforward. According to her account to The Times of India, she struggled with training conditions, food and language barriers before Covid-19 and an appendicitis surgery further disrupted her preparations for the Tokyo Olympic trials.
“In Patiala, I didn’t get personal training, struggled with the food, and didn’t know Hindi. While preparing for the Tokyo Olympic trials, I got Covid and later underwent appendicitis surgery. I had to leave camp and return home,” she had told Times of India.
Her twin sister Nithya, who was training under coach Nehpal Singh Rathore, later helped Vithya join the same setup. Until 2022, Vithya had primarily focused on the 400m flat. Rathore encouraged her to pursue both the flat event and 400m hurdles, while also setting her sights on Usha’s long-standing national record.
The sisters subsequently made history as the first pair of twins to represent India at the Asian Games. Vithya’s breakthrough at Hangzhou brought three medals — bronze in the 400m hurdles and silver in both the women’s 4x400m relay and mixed 4x400m relay — while her record-equalling performance established her as one of India’s leading 400m hurdlers. The Times of India has previously documented the twins’ journey and their role in pushing each other forward in athletics.
Ramraj’s progress continued after the Hangzhou Games. She represented India at the Paris 2024 Olympics as part of the women’s 4x400m relay team and later won another international podium finish with bronze in the 400m hurdles at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea.
Her journey from a modest family to the international athletics stage has also changed how her achievement is viewed in her community. Speaking to The Times of India in 2025, Vithya reflected on the change in attitude towards her and her sister after years of training and sacrifice.
“The same villagers who once questioned our parents about sending us to Chennai for training are now celebrating us,” she had told Times of India.
Now, with a personal best of 54.75 seconds and a new national record, Vithya Ramraj has finally moved beyond the mark she once shared with PT Usha. The achievement gives Indian women’s 400m hurdles a new benchmark — and adds another chapter to Ramraj’s steadily growing international career.
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