Indian athlete Jyothi’s golden leap in 60m hurdles

Vizag athlete wins 60m hurdles gold, sets two records at Meeting de Nantes Métropole
Jyothi Yarraji clocked 8.04 seconds, surpassing her own record to win gold
Jyothi Yarraji clocked 8.04 seconds, surpassing her own record to win gold Photo I Express
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VISAKHAPATNAM: Indian athlete Jyothi Yarraji from Visakhapatnam made a remarkable comeback to the track, setting not just one but two national records, and winning gold in the 60m hurdles at the Meeting de Nantes Métropole in Nantes, France, on Saturday.

In the final, Yarraji clocked 8.04 seconds, surpassing her own record to claim the gold medal. Earlier in the day, she had already rewritten the national record in the heats, finishing third with a time of 8.07 seconds. This performance shaved 0.05 seconds off her previous best of 8.12 seconds, set at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in February 2024.

The final saw Jyothi intensifying her performance, finishing ahead of South Africa’s Marione Fourie, who clocked 8.05 seconds, and Finland’s Saara Keskitalo, who secured bronze with 8.13 seconds.

At the Asian Games 2023, Jyothi won the silver medal in the 100m hurdles, clocking 12.91 seconds. In 2024, she competed at the Paris Olympics, becoming the first Indian woman to qualify for the 100m hurdles. She narrowly missed the semifinals, finishing fourth in the repechage round.

Yarraji, born on August 28, 1999, in a modest household, began her athletic journey at Port High School in Visakhapatnam, where her physical education teacher recognised her potential. Her milestones include joining the SAI hostel in 2016, and training under Olympian N Ramesh. Later, she refined her skills under British coach James Hillier at the Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Centre.

In 2022, Yarraji broke the national record in the 100m hurdles with a time of 13.23 seconds, and has since surpassed her own record multiple times. Her notable achievements include a gold medal in the 100m hurdles at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, a silver in the 200m, a bronze at the World University Games, and a silver at the 2022 Asian Games. The 25-year-old athlete was recently honoured with the prestigious Arjuna Award, recognising her consistent dedication, and outstanding contributions to Indian athletics.

Taking to Instagram, Yarraji expressed her satisfaction with her performance, stating, “I am really happy to start my season with two personal bests and my 10th and 11th national records here in Nantes, France. The decision to continue training in Stellenbosch instead of returning to India for the Arjuna Award ceremony was tough but vindicated by today’s results. I look forward to running even faster in my next competitions.”

“She called us last night after the tournament. As a family, we are happy and proud of her achievement. However, this has almost become a tradition for us, as it is not the first time she has brought home a medal. Even when we share the news with our relatives, they have grown to expect that Jyothi will win every time she competes. It’s wonderful to see her excelling in her career, and achieving success in what she loves,” said her brother Suresh.

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