VISAKHAPATNAM: From becoming the first Indian woman to breach the 13-second mark in the 100m hurdles to representing the country at the Paris Olympics, Vizag-born athlete Jyothi Yarraji has added another milestone to her career by receiving Arjuna Award 2024 certificate and trophy in New Delhi on November 13.
Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya presented the award to Jyothi at Hotel Ashoka on November 13, as she missed the original ceremony in January 2025.
Born in 1999, she holds the national 100m hurdles record of 12.78 seconds, set in 2023. Her achievements include two Asian Championships gold medals, an Asian Games silver, an Asian Indoor gold and silver, and a World University Games bronze. She represented India at the Paris 2024 Olympics. After ACL surgery in 2025, she returned in June 2026, winning national gold in 12.99 seconds & qualifying for Asian Games.
Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu congratulated Jyothi on receiving the award. In a post on X, he described her as a star athlete from AP and wished her continued success.