Vithya happy to go past Usha three years after equalling her record

For close to four decades, P.T. Usha remained the undisputed queen of the Indian track, no one able to better her in clearing hurdles, both literally and figuratively. On a wet and humid Monday (September 28, 2026) evening at the Asian Games, Vithya Ramraj finally rewrote the 400m hurdles National record and the 28-year-old couldn’t have been happier, or Usha more proud.

She finished third with 54.75s but that was immaterial for someone who equalled Usha’s record of 55.42 set at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics in the last Asiad. She had been trying to go past ever since. “I met Usha ma’am a year ago and she said, go for 54 seconds. She encouraged me. So doing this today makes me so happy. Everyone’s been asking me for the past three years when I will do 55.4 seconds again, there was pressure,” she admitted.