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Tamil Nadu's athletic sensation and Asian Games contender, R Vithya Ramraj, exhibited a phenomenal performance during the Indian Grand Prix 5, held on Monday. The young athlete, only 24 years of age, made a striking attempt to break the iconic record set by the legendary PT Usha in the women's 400m hurdles. Vithya's impressive run concluded with a clocked time of 55.43 seconds, almost matching the revered record of 55.42 seconds set by Usha during her unforgettable stint at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.
The sheer significance of Usha's record, which stands as the second oldest national athletics record after Shivnath Singh's marathon benchmark from 1978, cannot be emphasised enough. Further highlighting the weight of this achievement, PT Usha now graces the position of the president of the Indian Olympic Association (IOA).
On her commendable feat, an elated Vithya expressed her admiration for the athletic giant, Usha. She said, "Madam Usha is so talented and that is why her record stood for so long. I wanted to break the record, it was in my mind before the race today. I wanted to be the new Ma'am (Usha)."
Breaking down her performance and analyzing the near-miss, Vithya shared insights about her race strategy. "I was a bit slow in my first 200m and then picked up speed. Had I run faster in the first 200m, I would have broken the national record today itself," she remarked. However, Vithya's aspirations remain unyielding. She added, "But there is the Asian Games coming up, and I will try to break the NR there."
Vithya's noteworthy attempt and her ensuing determination signal an exhilarating future for Indian athletics. With the Asian Games on the horizon, the nation eagerly anticipates witnessing this young athlete's pursuit of surpassing legendary records.
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