MUMBAI: Reliance Foundation athlete Jyothi Yarraji won India’s first medal at the ongoing Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tehran (Iran), winning Gold in the 60m hurdles event with a new national record timing of 8.12s on Saturday.
The performance is a great 2024 season opener for Jyothi, who bettered her own national record from last year’s edition at Kazakhstan, where she won silver.
Speaking about the achievement, Jyothi Yarraji said, “The Asian Indoor Athletics Championship was a very good experience. It is the start of the season and the first international competition of the season, so I am very happy with the performance. This gold medal is special. I was a little worried about the pain in the hamstring last week, but my team and physiotherapists at Reliance Foundation worked hard to make me competition-ready. I am thankful to the Odisha government and the Reliance Foundation for helping me prepare for the competition. I am happy with the way I have started the season.”
Jyothi trained at the Kalinga Indoor Athletics Stadium for the competition. She also participated in the first Indoor Athletics Test Meet organized by Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Centre. Jyothi continues her excellent from 2023, where she won silver in the 100m hurdles event at the Asian Games & also won two medals at the Asian Championships.
Speaking about her effort, James Hillier, Athletics Director, Reliance Foundation, said, “It was a really good result for Jyothi, we did a 3-week training camp in Bhubaneswar. It was a very helpful session. She wanted to start the season on a good note. She had a small injury during her training, nothing serious but she couldn’t train for a week. Now she is back in form. This was a good race for her.”
Also, another Indian athlete Harmilan Kaur Bains secured a gold medal in the competition in the women’s 1500 m race, securing the top prize with a timing of 4:29.55 minutes.
Jyothi was scouted into the RF Athletics Program in 2021 and has been a residential athlete at Reliance’s High Performance Centres in Odisha and more recently, at the RF National Athletics Centre based at the Jio Institute in Ulwe.
Out of the total Indian contingent of 15 athletes, 7 athletes representing India at the Asian Indoor Championships are training at RF Centres across Ulwe (Sprints & Throws), Coonoor (Endurance) and Bhubaneswar (Jumps).
The Reliance Foundation Athletes who will be in action at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships include: E Baranica (Pole Vault), VK Elakkiyadasan (60m), Tejas Ashok Shirse (60m hurdles), Mohammed Afsal (800m), Gulveer Singh (3000m), Dhanvir (Shot Put). (ANI)