From bronze to gold: Wythia Ramraj breaks 42‑year record

Wythia Ramraj's journey at the Asian Games moved from a bronze triumph to a golden celebration within a single competition weekend. Starting with a bronze in the women's 400‑metre hurdles, she stunned the crowd by clocking 54.75 seconds, a performance that erased PT Usha’s 42‑year‑old national record. She then turned her focus to the relay events, helping India's women's 4×400 metre team capture gold and the mixed relay squad to finish second, earning silver. Her achievements have been lauded by sports veterans, political leaders and Bollywood personalities, all of whom highlighted the significance of breaking a record that stood since the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Ramraj thanked her coach, the Tamil Nadu athletics association and the state government for providing the platform that made her historic run possible.