Who is Vithya Ramraj?: 2026 Asian Games Gold, PT Usha Record and Career

Vithya Ramraj has delivered a sensational performance at the 2026 Asian Games held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. On 28th September, she broke the 42-year record of the legendary P.T. Usha in the women’s 400-meter hurdles in which she finished in third position and completed the race in 54.75 seconds.

Also, on 29th September, she won a gold medal in the women’s 4×400 meters relay event for India by anchoring the relay team to a time of 3:29.69. This was India’s first gold medal in athletics events at the 2026 Asian Games.

The transition of Vithya Ramraj from 400m sprints to hurdles and her performance at the Asian and Olympic Games makes her one of the prominent athletes in Indian athletics and a pertinent topic of current affairs for competitive examinations.

Who is Vithya Ramraj?

Vithya Ramraj was born on September 20, 1998, in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. She is an Indian track and field athlete whose main disciplines include the 400 meters and 400 meters hurdles. Her identical twin sister Nithya Ramraj is also a sportsperson.

Initially, both sisters played hockey before becoming athletes when they joined a sports academy in Erode in Class 7. Later, Vithya enrolled for a business administration course through the sports quota and got connected with the national athletics program. She works with Indian Railways.

As per World Athletics, she clocked her current PB of 54.75 seconds in the 400m hurdles discipline on September 28, 2026, at the Municipal Mizuho Stadium in Nagoya.

Vithya Ramraj and P. T. Usha Record

One of the most important achievements of the Ramraj’s career is her victory in the women’s 400 m hurdles at the 2022 Asian Games, which were staged in Hangzhou in 2023, having been postponed from 2022.

She claimed the bronze medal with her time of 55.42 seconds, matching the Indian national record set by P. T. Usha.

The record had been set by Usha on 8 August 1984 at the Los Angeles Olympic Games. The record stood as the best performance in the discipline in India for over four decades.

In the record book of the Athletics Federation of India, Usha’s record of 1984 was recognized as the national record until Ramraj’s 2026 achievement.

On 28 September 2026, Ramraj surpassed the record. Her time of 54.75 seconds in the 400 m hurdles final of the Asian Games was better by 0.67 seconds than the record set by Usha.

2026 Asian Games: National Record and Gold Medal

For Ramraj, participation in the 2026 Asian Games gained importance because she secured medals in both individual and relay events.

In the women’s 400m hurdles race, she came third in 54.75 seconds. UAE athlete Mariam Kareem secured the gold medal in a Games record of 54.31 seconds and Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems secured the silver medal in 54.58 seconds.

On 29 September, Ramraj contested the women’s 4×400m relay event. She was the anchor leg runner in the team that secured India its first athletics gold medal of the 2026 Asian Games in a time of 3:29.69. Her teammates were Kiran Pahal, M.R. Poovamma, and Prachi.

Athletics Federation of India picked Ramraj for the 2026 Asian Games in both the 400m hurdles and 4×400m relay events.

Career Start and Shift into Hurdles

Ramraj initially focused on the 100 meters and 200 meters sprints. After that, she started focusing on the 400 meters and 400 meters hurdles with the hurdles gaining importance in her career gradually.

In 2022, Ramraj made a move to Chennai to train along with her sister under the supervision of Nehpal Singh Rathore.

This change in the direction of training led her to prove herself as one of the best 400 meters hurdlers in India.

She made her mark at the Asian Games held in Hangzhou when she equaled the national record by Usha and bagged a bronze medal.