The Girl Who Ran Beyond the Odds

Part - 5

Name: Vithya Ramraj

Where: Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu

On a hazy track in Erode, a young girl ran without a name known beyond her school, without records to announce her arrival and without any assurance that the world would ever notice. She ran through one hurdle after another, armed with little more than speed, hope and a family’s faith in her stride.

That girl was Vithya Ramraj. Today, India knows her name.

Born in Coimbatore in 1998, Vithya grew up in a family where every rupee mattered. Her father, Ramraj, drove a truck, while her mother encouraged Vithya and her identical twin, Nithya, to pursue sport as a route out of hardship. A physical education teacher spotted their potential in Class VII and recommended athletics. The sisters chose it over team sports, hoping to earn recognition and secure admission to the Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu (SDAT) hostel in Erode. Their family had little choice but to let them go.

The sacrifices began early. After Class V, private schooling became unaffordable, and government-aided schools and the SDAT hostel became their lifeline. Vithya later completed a BBA at Kongu Arts and Science College through the sports quota, juggling academics and athletics. Her father has recalled skipping meals to buy her running shoes and borrowing money when household finances ran dry.

Then came the setbacks. Selected for the national camp at the National Institute of Sports in Patiala in 2018, Vithya encountered inadequate individual attention, food difficulties and language barriers. The pandemic and an appendicitis operation further disrupted her progress, denting her hopes of competing at the Tokyo Olympics.

A fresh chapter began in 2021 when she moved to Chennai to train under Nehpal Singh Rathore. He encouraged her to tackle both the 400 metres and the 400-metre hurdles, setting her sights on the records of legendary hurdler P.T. Usha.

Vithya announced herself at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, winning bronze in the 400-metre hurdles in 55.42 seconds, equalling Usha’s time at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Two relay silver medals followed.

But her finest breakthrough came in 2026. At the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, she clocked 54.75 seconds in the hurdles, shattering her personal best and setting a new national record. She added gold in the women’s 4x400-metre relay and silver in the mixed relay.

At 27, Vithya is a reminder that sporting greatness need not arrive early. Her ability to deliver under pressure is evident in relay races, where she often anchors the team.

Her journey reflects both the promise of India’s sporting infrastructure and the difference that committed coaches and family sacrifices can make.

The girl who once ran into uncertainty now races beneath the spotlight, carrying medals, a record and a nation’s hopes. Every hurdle she has crossed has brought her closer to the finish line she once could only imagine.