VISAKHAPATNAM (Andhra Pradesh): Indian athlete Jyothi Yarraji was felicitated by INS Satvahana under the Eastern Naval Command for her historic achievement as India’s first female Olympic hurdler.
The event, held in Visakhapatnam, was also attended by the Secretary of the AP Athletics Association.
According to a statement from the Eastern Naval Command, the Secretary of the AP Athletics Association also attended the event, which took place in Visakhapatnam.
During the ceremony, Jyothi shared her inspiring journey, answered questions from the audience, and encouraged young naval personnel, including Agniveers, to pursue their dreams.
At the recently concluded Paris Olympics, Jyothi Yarraji did not advance to the semifinals of the women’s 100 m hurdles competition, finishing in fourth place in the repechage round heat one.
In the repechage round, Jyothi clocked in timings of 13.17 seconds to achieve the fourth-place finish, but the qualification was a privilege reserved for only the top two athletes from each heat.
Jyothi’s participation in the Olympics was a milestone for India as she became the first-ever Indian athlete to represent India at the event.
The athlete finished seventh in Heat 5 clocking a time of 13.16 seconds on Wednesday. She could not secure a direct spot in the semifinals.
Jyothi was also the first Indian woman ever to compete in the women’s 100m hurdles at the Olympics.
The women’s 100m hurdles event has been a part of every Olympics since 1972, but the Paris Olympics was the first time that an Indian athlete had featured on the start list.
Earlier this year, Jyothi won India’s first medal at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tehran, securing gold in the 60m hurdles with a national record time of 8.12 seconds. (ANI)