Vithya Ramraj breaks PT Usha's 42-year-old record at Asian Games 2026

Dubai: Vithya Ramraj has broken one of Indian athletics’ longest-standing records after clocking 54.75 seconds in the women’s 400m hurdles at the Asian Games 2026.

Ramraj finished third in the final to win bronze, but her time was enough to better P.T. Usha’s national record of 55.42 seconds, set at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics.

Usha’s mark had stood for 42 years and had become one of the most enduring records in Indian athletics. Ramraj also won a bronze medal at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, where she finished the race in 66.68 seconds.

Her latest performance finally moved her ahead of the legendary Indian athlete, with Ramraj having 0.67 seconds off the mark.

The race was won by UAE’s Kareem Mariam, while Zems Adelina from Kazakhstan finished second. Ramraj completed the podium with her 54.75-second run.

The achievement comes during a strong athletics campaign for India in Aichi-Nagoya, with the country collecting several medals across track and field events. Ramraj’s record-breaking run adds another highlight to that medal haul.

For Usha, the record that survived for more than four decades has finally been surpassed. For Ramraj, it represents another step in a career that has seen her repeatedly challenge one of Indian athletics’ most recognised marks.