Vithya Ramraj is an Indian athlete who competes in the 400 meters hurdles, relays and sprints. Vithya Ramraj equaled PT Usha’s 400m hurdles record with a timing of 55.42 seconds. He won a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China and a silver medal in the 4x400m mixed relay along with Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi, Rajesh Ramesh and Subha Venkatesan.
Contents
Wiki/Biography
R. Vithya Ramaraj was born on Sunday, 20 September 1998 (age 25 years; as in 2023) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Her zodiac sign is Virgo.
Vithya Ramraj with his twin Nitya Ramraj when they were children
Vithya received his BBA degree from The Kongu Arts and Science College in Nanjanapuram, Erode, Tamil Nadu. Vithya was able to continue her education with the help of a scholarship from the Kongu Vellalar Institute of Technology Trust (KVITT) in Perundurai. Vithya Ramraj works as a senior clerk in the Palakkad division of the Indian Railways.
Physical Appearance
Height (Approx): 5′ 3″
Weight (Approx): 55 kg
Hair Color: Black
Eye colour: black
Family
parents and siblings
Vithya’s father works as a truck driver. His mother Meena is a housewife. Vithya has two sisters. Her elder sister is Satya and her twin sister Nitya Ramraj is also an athlete who competes in the 100 meters hurdles and works in the Income Tax Department. Vithya is one minute younger than her twin sister Nithya. The family lived in Coimbatore and moved to Chennai after the COVID-19 pandemic.
Vithya Ramraj with his parents and twin sister Nitya Ramraj
livelihood
Vithya Ramraj was admitted to a girls sports school in Erode by her mother. Vithya started playing hockey when his mother enrolled him in school in 7th grade. In sports school, Vithya and her twin Nithya focused on athletics. Vithya then joined Kongu Arts and Science College in Erode, where her accommodation, food and education expenses were covered. Vithya began training for the 400 meter sprint and hurdles. Initially, Vithya doubted her stamina and skills to compete at this distance. He said,
400 meter race is one of the toughest races. I also didn’t have the stamina I needed. During the race, I always performed well in the first 300 meters of the race but I never had any energy in the last 100 meters. There were many races in which I led until the last turn and then other runners passed me. I wasn’t even sure which event I should specialize in. I was a 400m runner but many coaches told me that I should focus on 400m hurdles as I had a better chance of winning a medal there.
Vithya started 2021 increasing her stamina and working on her weaknesses with coach Nehpal Singh Rathod. Vithya commented that coach Nehapal used to make her repeat her training until she succeeded and she used to cry thinking how difficult the coaching was.
Vithya and Nitya Ramraj with coach Nehpal Singh Rathore
Vithya then trained at a national camp under coach Galina Bukharina, who used to coach at the Netaji Subhash National Institute of Sports in Patiala. Vithya was not seeing any improvement in her running and was thinking of quitting the sport. In an interview he said,
Seeing myself unable to improve my performance was frustrating and made me question myself as an athlete. I thought it would be better if I quit running and find a job to help my family. My sister tried her best to convince me to continue running. Since he had a job, he took care of my training and diet.”
In September 2021, a big moment in Vithya’s career came when she won gold medals in three events: 400m race, 400m hurdles and 4x400m mixed relay at the National Open Championships in Warangal.
Vithya Ramraj competing at the 60th National Open Athletics Championships in Warangal, Telangana
Even though people had high expectations from her as the next top 400m runner in India, Vithya did not progress as expected during training at the national camp. After a year, he chose to go back to Chennai and train with coach Nehapal. She felt a bit lost in the national camp, especially after the departure of head coach Galina Bukharina. The national camp was to focus on multiple athletes, and Vithya wanted her to receive more individual attention in Chennai. This decision meant he would not receive the support he would have received at the national camp, such as special food, equipment and help with training costs. As per Indian Athletics Federation rules, Vithya could not compete in relay events for India if she was not part of the national camp. Money was tight and Vithya did not have sponsors. Finally, his twin Nithya convinced him not to leave his job and contributed part of the earnings from his job to the Income Tax Department. Vithya also used his money to rent a room in Nungambakkam, Chennai, ensuring that it was close to his training facility. Vithya won more medals and found herself back in the national camp. Although she returned, she continued to follow coach Nehapal’s training and consulted him online. At the Grand Prix 5 in September 2023, Vithya came close to reaching the 400 m hurdles national record set by PT Usha. She missed the target by 0.01 seconds.
Vithya Ramraj during the 400m hurdles at the Indian Grand Prix 5 in 2023
Vithya set a record of 55.42 seconds during the 2022 Asian Games. Vithya won a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles and silver medals in the 4x400m mixed relay and 4x400m relay at the 2022 Asian Games.
Vithya Ramraj poses with the medals won at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China
record
- Vithya Ramraj along with PT Usha created a national record for 400m hurdles in 55.42 seconds. PT Usha made the record during the 1984 Summer Olympics. Vithya set the record during the 2022 Asian Games, 39 years after the original record was set.
- Vithya Ramraj along with Muhammad Ajmal, Rajesh Ramesh and Subha Venkatesan set a national record for the 4x400m mixed relay in 3:14.70 seconds during the 2022 Asian Games.
Vithya Ramraj with his 4x400m mixed relay team comprising Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi, Rajesh Ramesh and Subha Venkatesan
medal
Sleep
400 meter sprint
- 2021: 60th National Open Athletics Championship in Warangal, Telangana.
- 2022: Indian Grand Prix, Bhubaneswar.
400 meter hurdles
- 2021: 60th National Open Athletics Championship in Warangal, Telangana.
- 2022: XXXII Cusanov Memorial International Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
Vithya Ramraj poses with the gold medal she won at the XXXII Kosanov Memorial International Championships in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
- 2022: Indian Grand Prix, Thiruvananthapuram.
- 2022: All India Inter-Railway Athletics Championship, Uttar Pradesh.
- 2022: Indian National Games, Gujarat.
- 2022: National Open Athletics Championship in Bengaluru.
- 2023: Indian Grand Prix 5, Chandigarh
4×400 relay
- 2021: 60th National Open Athletics Championship in Warangal, Telangana.
- 2022: 4×400 meters relay (mixed) category at All India Inter-Railway Athletics Championships, Uttar Pradesh.
- 2022: Indian National Games, Gujarat.
silver
100 meter hurdles
- 2015: 100 meter hurdles in Ranchi Indian Under 18 Championship.
- 2018: 100m Hurdles at Tirunelveli Tamil Nadu State Championships
200 meter sprint
2017: Vijayawada Indian U20/U18/U16 Championship
4×400 meter relay
- 4×400 meters relay at the 19th Asian Games (2022 Asian Games) in Hangzhou.
- 4×400 meters mixed relay at the 19th Asian Games (2022 Asian Games) in Hangzhou.
Vithya Ramraj with his teammates in the 4x400m relay at the 2022 Asian Games
Brass
400 meter sprint
- 2018: Moodbidri Inter-University Championship.
- 2019: Memorial Jaroslava Broz in the Czech Republic.
- 2022: All India Inter-Railway Athletics Championship, Uttar Pradesh.
400 meter hurdles
19th Asian Games (2022 Asian Games) in Hangzhou.
Congratulations to Vithya Ramraj for winning the bronze medal in the women’s 400m hurdles.
His perseverance and determination has indeed led to this promising performance. Best wishes for his future endeavours. pic.twitter.com/RTniT2Mdjz
-Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) 3 October 2023
Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn