Jyothi Yarraji Clinches India's Maiden Gold At Asian Athletics Championships

Jyothi Yarraji has scripted history by winning India's first gold medal in the 100m hurdles event at the 25th Asian Athletics Championship. 

Yarraji clocked 13.09 seconds to clinch gold in the final race ahead of two Japanese runners Terada Asuka (13.13s) and Aoki Masumi (13.26s) at the Supachalasai Stadium. 

"I wanted to do my personal best...I only thought about the time. Had I thought of a medal that would have put pressure on me,” said the 23-year-old after her fine victory.

Jyothi has been training at the Reliance Foundation under coach James Hillier for the last few years couple of years and her victory was the foundation’s first Asian title.

“You have made the country proud and stand tall as an inspiration to all aspiring athletes and young girls who dream of making it big in sports,” said Nita Ambani, chairperson of the Reliance Foundation.

Watch the historic moment here

Our 🇮🇳 flag flying high while the national anthem plays - the stuff of dreams! 🫡

Nothing but proud to see @JyothiYarraji bringing glory to our nation at the highest stage & this is just the beginning... 🙌

📽️: Asian Athletics Championships 2023/ YouTube@ril_foundation… pic.twitter.com/9zjT7FM1ya

— RF Youth Sports (@RFYouthSports) July 13, 2023

Daughter of a security guard is now a gold medalist

Born on August 28, 1999, in Visakhapatnam (Vizag), Andhra Pradesh, Yarraji grew up with limited means.

Her father, Suryanarayana, works as a private security guard while her mother, Kumari, is a domestic help who works part-time as a cleaner in a city hospital. 

In an interview with The New Indian Express, Yarraji said taking care of her parents was a big motivation behind her taking up athletics.

In 2015, Jyothi Yarraji first came into the spotlight after winning the gold medal at an Andhra Pradesh inter-district meet. The following year, she moved to the SAI Centre in Hyderabad to train under coach N Ramesh, an Olympian and Dronacharya awardee.

What's next for Yarraji 

Fresh from her Inter State triumph less than a month back where she clocked 12.92 seconds, Yarraji entered the competition as a clear favourite

Jyothi won the 100m hurdles gold medal in a rain-marred final, which probably caused her to clock a time of more than 13 seconds - 13.09s. 

"It was not a perfect race. The conditions were tricky. It rained during her race and hurdling in rain is tough because rainwater gets into the eyes. Also, the hurdles become slippery. All things considered, we'll take the result," said coach Hillier on the win. 

Yarraji will be in action again on Sunday when she lines up for the 200m. "She is actually a very solid 200m runner and may spring a surprise. She is ranked fifth in 200m, so our target is to finish inside the top four," the coach added.