NEW DELHI: Indian sprinter Jyothi Yarraji ‘s hopes of competing in the forthcoming World Championships in Tokyo ended abruptly on Wednesday. The country’s fastest woman hurdler revealed that she has suffered a freak knee injury during training and won’t be competing further in the ongoing athletics season .
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Jyothi, who was set for her second appearance at the Worlds – scheduled from Sep 13-21 – based on her current rankings points had recently defended her Asian crown in the women’s 100m hurdles after running a superb sub-13 seconds race in South Korea’s Gumi in May.
“Due to an unfortunate injury to my knee during training a few days back, I’ve had to put a pause on my season,” Jyothi said. “I’m working with my medical team to assess my options and will make a decision on the way forward. Injuries are part of an athlete’s journey and I’m viewing this as just another hurdle I’m going to overcome soon. With all your support and blessings I’ll be back stronger,” she added.
This isn’t the first time injuries have disrupted Jyothi’s rise as one of the country’s most promising track athletes in recent years. The national record holder had suffered a hip flexor damage during training in Finland after the Paris Olympics. In the first week of April this year, her plans to compete abroad were hit because of a hamstring injury. In the recent case, Jyothi would be undergoing scans and a possible knee surgery in coming weeks, meaning an extended rehabilitation period to recover from the latest injury setback.
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Jyothi looked primed to travel to Tokyo. A total of 16 athletes in her discipline will make the cut for the event through the world rankings. The 25-year-old Indian is currently in the 12th position and needed to maintain her ranking by competing in forthcoming meets. That has now been ruled out.
The automatic qualification time for the Worlds is 12.73s and Jyothi holds the national record at 12.78s. She had clocked 12.96s in Gumi. The qualification window will run till Aug 24.
In recent years, Jyothi has emerged as one of the country’s best sprinters, becoming the first-ever Indian woman runner to win a medal (silver) in hurdles at the Asian Games – Hangzhou 2023.