Jyothi Yarraji Sets Championship Record and Defends Asian Gold In May 2025, Jyothi Yarraji defended her women’s 100m hurdles title at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 held in Gumi, South Korea. She clocked a championship record time of 12.96 seconds in the final on 29 May 2025, becoming the first athlete at the meet to run under 13 seconds that year and setting a new Asian Championships record. The race took place under challenging weather, with rain reducing spectator attendance, but Yarraji’s performance stood out as she finished ahead of Yumi Tanaka (Japan) and Wu Yanni (China). This victory marked her second consecutive Asian Championships gold in the 100m hurdles (after 2023), reinforcing her standing as one of Asia’s leading hurdlers.
Jyothi Yarraji: Life and Career of an Indian Hurdles Record-Holder
Introduction: A Long Road in Track and Field
Jyothi Yarraji (born 28 August 1999) is an Indian track and field athlete known for her performances in the 100m hurdles and 60m hurdles. She holds the Indian national record in the women’s 100m hurdles and has won multiple medals at Asian competitions. Yarraji also became the first Indian woman to compete in the 100m hurdles at the Olympics, representing India at the 2024 Paris Games. Her career shows a mix of breakthroughs, sustained national dominance, and injury setbacks.
Early Life & Struggle
Family and Background
Jyothi Yarraji was born in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. She grew up in a modest household; her father worked as a security guard and her mother did domestic work. Financial limitations shaped her early years, and cash prize money from early competitions was used to support her training until she received sponsorship around 2021. The Times of India+1
Education and First Steps in Athletics
Yarraji attended Port High School in Visakhapatnam, where her physical education teacher recognized her potential in sprinting and hurdling. She joined the Sports Authority of India (SAI) hostel in 2016, marking her first structured athletic training. Initial training was under Olympian coach N Ramesh before she later moved to the Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar to work with coach James Hillier.
Early Competitive Years
Her first major exposure came in youth and national events, where she steadily improved her timings and technique. Financial support was limited in these early years, and she often competed in national games with monetary reward as part of her motivation, pointing to the financial pressures many Indian athletes face outside high-profile sports.
The Breakout: National Record and Asian Success
Breaking National Records
A turning point in Yarraji’s career came in October 2022, when she became the first Indian woman hurdler to run under 13 seconds in the 100m hurdles. This performance (below 13s) set a new national record, a mark she continued to lower in subsequent competitions. Wikipedia
Asian Games and Early Medals
At the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou (held in 2023), Yarraji won silver in the women’s 100m hurdles. The final was initially marred by confusion: she was briefly disqualified for a false start alongside a competitor from China but was allowed to run after review; ultimately, the rival was disqualified and Yarraji’s medal stood.
She also won medals at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships, including gold in the 100m hurdles, establishing herself as a continental champion.
The Peak of Fame: Records and the Olympics
National Dominance and International Medals
Through 2024–2025, Yarraji repeatedly lowered national hurdles records—in the 100m hurdles (12.78 seconds) and 60m hurdles (8.04 seconds indoors). At the Meeting de Nantes in France in January 2025, she set a new 60m hurdles national record of 8.04s during both heats and the final.
She also won gold at the National Games 2025, breaking meet records twice in the 100m hurdles and qualifying for the Asian Athletics Championships 2025.
Olympic Participation
Yarraji made history by qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics, becoming the first Indian woman to compete in the 100m hurdles event at the Games. She narrowly missed the automatic qualifying standard by 0.01 seconds but secured her place through world ranking. At Paris, she ran in the heats and competed in repechage rounds but did not progress to the semifinals.
Challenges: Setbacks and Injury
Financial Reality
Outside the global spotlight, Yarraji has openly discussed the financial realities facing track athletes in India. At the National Games, she stated that participating was motivated by monetary rewards offered by state governments, highlighting how such incentives can impact athletes’ competition choices.
Injury and Surgery
In July 2025, Yarraji suffered a knee injury that required ACL surgery, ruling her out of the 2025 World Championships and the remainder of that season. The surgery, performed by a specialist orthopaedic surgeon, was publicly confirmed by her and sports media outlets.
The Evolution/Current Status
Awards and Recognition
In early January 2025, Yarraji was named a recipient of the Arjuna Award, one of India’s premier sports honors, in recognition of her athletic achievements and national records. The award was scheduled to be presented at Rashtrapati Bhavan in January 2025. The New Indian Express
Current Focus
As of late 2025, Yarraji is recovering from ACL surgery and has stepped away from competition for the season. Her rehabilitation and future race plans are anticipated in Indian athletics circles, with expectations that she will return to competition after medical clearance and training adjustments. themotivationstories
People Also Ask
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💡 Key Takeaway
"Jyothi Yarraji Sets Championship Record and Defends Asian Gold In May 2025, Jyothi Yarraji defended her women’s 100m hurdles title at the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 held in Gumi, South Korea. She clocked a championship record time of 12.96 seconds in the final on 29 May 2025, becoming the first athlete at the meet to run under 13 seconds that year and setting a new Asian Championships record. The race took place under challenging weather, with rain reducing spectator attendance, but Yarraji’s performance stood out as she finished ahead of Yumi Tanaka (Japan) and Wu Yanni (China). This victory marked her second consecutive Asian Championships gold in the 100m hurdles (after 2023), reinforcing her standing as one of Asia’s leading hurdlers. "
Written by
Research & Analysis Team, The Motivation Stories
Note: This article blends verified facts with our analytical perspective.