In Brief
- Vithya Ramraj clocked 54.75 seconds in the 400m hurdles final, surpassing PT Usha’s 1984 record of 55.42 seconds by 0.67 seconds.
- UAE's Mariam Kareem won gold in 54.31 seconds, while Kazakhstan's Adelina Zems took silver in 54.58 seconds at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
- Ramraj became the first Indian female athlete to run the 400m hurdles in under 55 seconds.
Indian athlete Vithya Ramraj set a new national record in the women's 400m hurdles final at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on September 28, 2026. Ramraj completed the race in 54.75 seconds to claim the bronze medal behind UAE's Mariam Kareem (54.31s) and Kazakhstan's Adelina Zems (54.58s). The performance lowered her personal best and lowered the national mark by 0.67 seconds.
The previous national record of 55.42 seconds was established by PT Usha during the 400m hurdles final at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Ramraj had previously matched Usha’s mark at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou. Her 54.75-second finish makes her the first Indian runner to complete the event in under 55 seconds.
