This was one national record that had stood the test of time. PT Usha’s gallant run at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics 400m hurdles final, where she clocked a blistering 55.42secs yet missed the bronze by a heart-breaking 0.01sec, was a milestone in Indian athletics.
Nobody came close to that time until Vithya Ramraj equalled it at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. It would take three more years for Vithya to shatter that mark.
The special moment came on a rainy day at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on Monday. Vithya powered her way through the 400m hurdles final, clocking 54.75secs. She claimed bronze, but it was when she saw her timing that Vithya broke into a big smile, jumping in sheer joy. This was one record she had been chasing for some time.
UAE’s Mariam Kareem won the gold in 54.31secs – a personal best and Games record – while Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems claimed silver (54.58secs).
Vithya had a good start and ran strongly through the bends. Coming into the home straight, she was looking for a strong finish but Mariam took the lead and Zems held on to grab the second spot. It was the UAE’s first gold medal, delivered by 18-year-old Mariam.
In the heats on Sunday, Vithya had clocked 55.73sec. “Medal is in our hands, but time is not,” Vithya told PTI in Aichi-Nagoya. “This race will not come tomorrow. Today is our day, so I was going for the timing, not the medal,” she said.
“My coach said we would go 54 seconds. I did it and I am so happy. The timing was so good. I am very happy.”
Vithya, 28, said that after her performance at the Hangzhou, where she almost surpassed Usha’s record, she was seen as someone who would eventually claim the mark.
“Everyone has been asking me because I had not gone under 55 seconds for three years. My coach Nehpal Singh Rathore told me to go fast, then maintain it through the sixth hurdle. From the sixth hurdle to the finish line, it was all out.”
It has been a good outing for Vithya, who also produced a brilliant effort in the anchor leg of the 4x400m mixed relay final to help India claim silver. The athlete from Coimbatore will be going for her third medal on Tuesday, in the women’s 4x400m relay. She had three medals from Hangzhou.
Usha, who is at the Games as Indian Olympic Association president, acknowledged Vithya’s achievement. She called it an incredibly special moment.
“Records are meant to be broken and there is no greater reward for an athlete than to see the next generation go beyond the boundaries we once set,” Usha, the Asian sprint queen of the 1980s, said.
“Vithya Ramraj breaking my 42-year-old national record in the 400m hurdles is an incredibly special moment for me. As athletes, we compete to challenge ourselves, to push limits and, ultimately, to leave the sport better than we found it. When a young athlete comes along and surpasses a milestone that has stood for decades, it is a moment of pride – not just for the athlete but for the sport itself.
“The greatest legacy of a record is not how long it stands, but how it inspires the next athlete to dream of going beyond it,” said Usha, who is at the Games.
Anu Raghavan, the other Indian in the final, made a strong start before fading to finish fifth clocking 55.88s.