Vithya Ramraj etched her name in Indian athletics history at the 63rd National Open Athletics Championships in Bengaluru on Monday. The Railway athlete delivered an outstanding performance in the women’s 400m hurdles, breaking a 39-year-old meet record previously held by the legendary P.T. Usha.
Vithya clocked an impressive 56.23 seconds, eclipsing Usha’s 1985 mark of 56.80 seconds. “P.T. Usha is an absolute legend. Her meet record has stood for so many years. My coach was keen that I break this long-standing record. He wanted my name to be up there on the record list,” Vithya, who secured the 400m hurdles bronze at the 2022 Asian Games, said.
Her coach, Nehpal Singh, provided extra motivation, promising her five days of leave if she could complete the race under 57 seconds. “I’ll use this leave period to spend time with my parents in Coimbatore. I have not seen them in a year,” Vithya shared.
Meanwhile, Tamil Nadu’s Nithin set a new meet record in the men’s 200m, finishing with a time of 20.66 seconds. He surpassed the previous record held by Animesh Kujur, who clocked 20.74 seconds in 2023.
Ancy Sojan, representing the Services, was declared the best woman athlete. She secured victory in the women’s long jump with a leap of 6.71 meters, narrowly missing the meet record of 6.74 meters set by Anju Bobby George in 2002.
The event saw a plethora of other exciting performances. In the men’s 800m, P. Mohammed of SSCB clinched victory with a time of 1:48.10s, while Abhishek of the Railways secured first place in the men’s 10,000m with a time of 29:48.18s.
The Railways emerged victorious in both the men’s and women’s team championships, solidifying their dominance at the National Open Athletics Championships.
