Jyothi Yarraji’s journey to the Paris Olympics is a testament to the power of resilience and determination. Every time she leaps over a hurdle, it feels like she’s leaving behind the struggles her mother, Kumari, endured working double shifts as a domestic help and cleaner in Visakhapatnam. Kumari’s unwavering positivity in the face of hardship has become Yarraji’s guiding force, shaping her mindset as she prepares to compete in the 100m hurdles at the Games.
Yarraji’s qualification through the world ranking quota marks a historic moment, making her the first Indian woman to compete in the Olympics 100m hurdles event. Reflecting on her journey, Yarraji acknowledges the challenges she faced: “In the past, I did too much thinking, too much worried because of my family, my personal life and my background but I learnt a lot.” Her mother’s wisdom has been her anchor: “My mom always told me to just keep going forward because we can’t stop the present, past and the future. She told me, ‘You work for yourself, whatever the result, it will come, we will take it’. My mom will never tell me before a competition to win a medal, to win a gold. She will tell me to go and be healthy and be self-satisfied with whatever I am doing. That is why I always go forward with a positive mindset.”
Yarraji’s success is also fueled by the positive influence of her support system. She says, “Having people with a positive mindest has also helped me as I tried to “improve my present, without thinking too much of the past and future”. “In the past, there was no great team around me. Now I have lots of positive people, a team of great mentality around me. That is helping me a lot. I always take the positivity with me. I try to change the negative thought into positive one,” referring to her coach, James Hillier, and her team.
Yarraji, who holds the national record of 12.78 seconds in the 100m hurdles, acknowledges the pressure of her Olympic debut. However, she remains focused on her goals, finding solace in meditation: “I don’t have experience of (competing in the) Olympics but I am confident that it will go well. I have experience of Asian Championships, Asian Games and World Championships and I hope to take my plus points from there to the Olympics. It will be a tough and intense competition in Paris. There will be pressure but I will try to concentrate on my race so that I can reproduce what I had done in the training. I am now focusing more on recovery and meditation so that I remain calm and focused.”
As Jyothi Yarraji steps onto the starting blocks in Paris, she carries the hopes and dreams of a nation, her mother’s unwavering belief, and a spirit that refuses to be subdued. Her journey, from the daughter of a domestic help to India’s first 100m hurdles Olympian, is a testament to the transformative power of dedication, hard work, and a positive mindset.
