Archive · 29 Sep 2026
Vithya Ramraj Breaks PT Usha’s Longstanding 400m Hurdles Record
Vithya Ramraj ran the women’s 400m hurdles at the Asian Games.
She finished in 54.75 seconds and won a bronze medal.
Her time was faster than PT Usha’s old Indian record of 55.42 seconds.
Usha had set that record at the 1984 Olympics.
Ramraj had matched the record when she won bronze at the 2023 Asian Games.
This time, she broke it by 0.67 seconds.
Mariam Kareem won gold, and Adelina Zems won silver.
Ramraj said she was very happy and wanted to celebrate with her mother’s food.
Vithya Ramraj won bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Ramraj clocked a personal best of 54.75 seconds, beating PT Usha’s 55.42-second national record by 0.67 seconds.
Usha set the previous record at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, and Ramraj had matched it at the 2023 Asian Games.
Mariam Kareem of the UAE won gold in 54.31 seconds, while Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems took silver in 54.58 seconds.
Ramraj said she was surprised and delighted to finish below 56 seconds and looked forward to eating her mother’s food at home.
- Who
- Indian athlete Vithya Ramraj broke PT Usha’s women’s 400m hurdles national record; Mariam Kareem and Adelina Zems won gold and silver.
- What
- Ramraj ran 54.75 seconds to win bronze and set a new Indian national record.
- When
- Monday, at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
- Where
- The women’s 400m hurdles final at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
- Why
- Her 54.75-second performance was faster than Usha’s previous national-record time of 55.42 seconds.
- Event
- Women’s 400m hurdles final
- Ramraj’s time
- 54.75 seconds
- Previous national record
- 55.42 seconds, set by PT Usha at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics
- Record improvement
- 0.67 seconds
- Ramraj’s medal
- Bronze, her second consecutive Asian Games bronze
- Gold medalist
- Mariam Kareem of the UAE, in 54.31 seconds
- Silver medalist
- Adelina Zems of Kazakhstan, in 54.58 seconds
- Record age discrepancy
- The articles describe the record as 42 years old, while Usha refers to it as 43 years old.
