Southern Railways Chief Athletics Coach Nizamudeen has praised Vithya Ramraj’s record-breaking bronze medal performance at the Asian Games 2026 and expressed hope for her to secure a gold medal in the women’s 4x400m relay scheduled for September 29.
Ramraj made history by breaking PT Usha’s 42-year-old national record in the women’s 400m hurdles on September 28. The Indian athlete had previously matched the record during the semifinals of the event at the Asian Games in Hangzhou.
In the final held at Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya, the track was damp due to rain and drizzle, creating challenging conditions. Despite this, Ramraj successfully cleared all ten hurdles to finish third, behind UAE’s Mariam Kareem, who won gold with a Games record time of 54.31 seconds, and Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems, who took silver in 54.58 seconds.
Ramraj set a personal best of 54.75 seconds to win bronze, surpassing Usha’s national record of 55.42 seconds, which had stood since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. This achievement ended the long-standing national record.
“Vithya Ramraj has clinched a bronze medal in the Asian Games, creating a new national record with a time of 54.75 seconds, and she broke the 42-year-old record of India set by the Golden Girl of India, PT Usha, in the year 1984 with a timing of 55.42 seconds,” Nizamudeen told ANI.
The coach also expressed confidence in Ramraj and the Indian women’s 4x400m relay team to contend for gold in the upcoming relay event.
“Tomorrow [Tuesday] she is also having a 4×400 women’s relay. I hope that the team will also get a gold medal. She got one silver, one bronze, and is missing a gold. I hope she will get gold,” he added.
Ramraj will now focus on the women’s 4x400m relay, presenting another opportunity to extend her medal collection at the Asian Games.