CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu athlete Vithya Ramraj — who won three medals, a gold, a silver, and a bronze medal in the Asian Games — is basking in the glory of her unique achievement. Vithya bagged the Pudhumai Penn award given by Tata Tanishq, Anna Nagar branch. She was presented a medal and a gold coin worth one sovereign. Her personal coach Nehpal Singh was presented with a cash award of `1 lakh.
At the Asian games 2026, Vithya won gold in the women's 4x400m relay, silver in the 4x400m mixed relay and bronze in the women's 400m hurdles. Her bronze medal in the women's 400m hurdles came at a national record time of 54.75s. With this performance, she surpassed the long-standing Indian national record of 55.42s, set by PT Usha at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. "It feels good to do well for the country. Glad to win three medals in Japan. At the last Asian Games, I won three medals as well. But I don't know why I became so popular this year," Vithya reflected.
"Regarding the gold medal event, when we stepped onto the track, our senior teammate, MR Poovamma told us, 'Vithya, it's up to us to bring home a gold medal in athletics. We believe in you. As the anchor leg, we know you will push and bring the medal home. The three of us will put in everything we have to give you a comfortable lead so nobody catches up to you. We will give our best effort; you give your 100 per cent. We are definitely getting gold, and we must hear our national anthem play before we leave today'," recalled Vithya.
Before the Asian Games, questions were raised over conditions, accommodations but the athlete from Coimbatore said she was prepared for everything. "I have trained without shoes before. Even now, I cook my own food. We stay in rented housing supported by my coach. For nearly five or six years, I lived in a shared room with twenty other athletes. We used to travel without train reservations, sitting near the lavatories. My coach always told me: 'Why are we here? If you are on an international stage (opportunity), your only job is to perform. Don't worry about whether you have luxury, room comforts, or food-just make sure you have clothes to wear and go run your race. Don't think about medals or breaking records. Run for the time'. He told me to chase the timing, so that's all I focused on," she revealed.
While Vithya broke a 42-year-old record, she explained how Singh was expecting a 53s finish at the Asian Games. "When I asked my coach if he was happy, he actually said no, because he expected a 53-second finish from me. I could have achieved it this season itself, but missed out. Our next target is the World Championships. At the world level, the top records are around 50 seconds, and you need a 51s time to make an Olympic final. Running 54 seconds isn't enough. Instead of being satisfied with a national record or a bronze medal, if we want to compete at the absolute elite level, we need 52 or 53 seconds finish," she insisted.
Vithya has not yet debuted at the World Championships. With the top 48 competing and her current rank being around 35, she feels the need for exposure. However, her coach Singh trusts his ward to do well. "We are waiting for the AFI calendar to be released. At the start of a season, we assess what we gained, note our mistakes, see what worked, and plan ahead. Last year, we aimed for a sub-55.5s timing, but ahead of the Asian Championships in Bangkok, she suffered a severe ankle sprain. Her ankle was completely swollen, yet she ran the final on painkillers and won bronze. If not for that injury, the national record would have fallen last year. Because she strained it so badly, we shut down the season early. Now that this season has ended successfully, we will take a short vacation and plan our long-term roadmap," said the coach.
"For any athlete, structured progression is key. We aimed for sub-54 this year, but her progression was disrupted. In Delhi, she fell during the Indian Grand Prix final series, which interrupted her training momentum again. At the Asian Games, we got the result, but not the full progression she is capable of. She's capable of more. After the race, she still had enough energy left to dance," he added.
Singh revealed the coaching methods in India and abroad and how sleeping well helped Vithya. "In India, to escape the scorching heat, we have to wake up and hit the track at 5AM. In Poland's weather, you can casually walk onto the track at 10AM. Vithya slept 10 hours a day for three months straight in Poland. That sleep alone elevated her performance. Sleep is an athlete's primary weapon. If your sleep cycle is locked in for a month, your body and brain function at their peak. Many Indian athletes overlook this, but sleep accounts for 90 per cent of recovery. Ice baths, swimming, and mental recreation make up the remaining 10 percent," he explained.
