Vithya Ramraj has matched the 39-year-old national record held by the legendary PT Usha in the 400m hurdles at the ongoing Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, China. In the 400m hurdles heat 1, Vithya clocked an impressive 55.42 seconds, equaling the record set by PT Usha during the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and securing her spot in the final.
During the Indian Grand Prix in Chandigarh, Vithya Ramraj came exceptionally close to breaking the record, recording a time of 55.43 seconds, which was just one-hundredth of a second shy of Usha's 55.42.
PT Usha's record stands as the second oldest national record in athletics, following Shivnath Singh's marathon national record of 1978.
Vithya, a 24-year-old athlete who has long admired PT Usha, expressed her aspirations, stating, "Madam Usha is so talented, and that's why her record has endured for so long. I aimed to break the record; it was on my mind before today's race. I wanted to follow in Ma'am Usha's footsteps."
Hailing from Coimbatore, Vithya has shown consistent improvement in the 400m hurdles over the past year, repeatedly surpassing her personal best.
She achieved a time of 56.57 seconds at the National Games in October 2022, improved upon that record with a timing of 56.01 seconds at the Inter-State championships in June 2023, and has now bettered her personal best twice within three weeks.
"I could have broken the national record today itself. But with the Asian Games approaching, I will strive to break the national record there," Vithya remarked after her performance at the IGP 5.
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