Making history at the World University Games in Chengdu on August 4, Indian star athlete Jyothi Yarraji clinched India's first-ever medal in the 100m hurdles. Additionally, she shattered her own national record with a bronze-winning performance.
Simultaneously, national record-holder sprinter Amlan Borgohain secured India's inaugural 200m medal at the World University Games, taking home a bronze with a season's best time of 20.55 seconds.
Prior to this year's event, only four medals had been awarded to India in track and field events at the World University Games. In sprint races specifically, the only previous medal recipient was Dutee Chand, who took home a 100m gold in the 2019 edition.
23-year-old Yarraji surpassed her previous national record of 12.82 seconds, completing the women's 100m hurdles final in 12.78 seconds. Gold and silver went to Viktoria Forster of Slovakia and Yanni Wu of China respectively.
Borgohain, aged 25, was narrowly short of his national record of 20.52 seconds. The gold and silver in this event were secured by Tsebo Isadore Matsoso of South Africa and Yudai Nishi of Japan.
These two medals have boosted India's medal tally to 11 gold, 5 silver, and 9 bronze, placing the country fourth in the overall standings. China currently leads the tally, with Korea and Japan trailing behind.
The first medal for Indian athletics at the World University Games was won in 2013 by shot putter Inderjeet Singh in Kazan, Russia. Since then, other victories have included a 100m gold by Dutee Chand in Naples, Italy in 2019.
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