Asian Games silver medalist Yarraji is aiming for gold after making a comeback from an ACL injury

A year after suffering a career-threatening ACL injury, hurdler Jyothi Yarraji has returned to competition with renewed confidence and a clear goal of winning gold at the upcoming Asian Games. The national record holder marked her comeback by clinching the women’s 100m hurdles title at the National Interstate Championships, breaking the Athletics Federation of India qualifying standard in 12.99 seconds.

The performance came exactly one year after the injury that forced her to undergo surgery and a lengthy rehabilitation process, all the more significant for the 26-year-old.
Yarraji won a silver medal at the 2022 Asian Games and remains one of India’s leading female track and field athletes, holding the national record of 12.78 seconds in the women’s 100m hurdles.

“There were many nights when I cried a lot. I had many injuries before even tearing my ACL. Sometimes when I was sitting in my room I would ask myself, ‘Is it over yet? Is this journey over?’ These thoughts came to my mind,” PTI quoted Yarraji as saying after her victory.

“But I kept telling myself it’s okay, Jyothi, you do it and you can do it. It was this day last year that I got injured. A year later, on the same day, I got back on the track and showed up. It means a lot to me. I feel comfortable and mentally 10 times better than before.”

The Andhra Pradesh athlete underwent ACL surgery in July last year after sustaining the injury during training. Recovering from torn ligaments required months of rehabilitation and a gradual return to competition. Although she has started training again, Yarraji revealed that she only recently started hurdles and is still working on getting fully fit.

Jyothi Yarraji is alive and kicking.. Bad start but what an end.. Drops under 13s (12.99s, wind: +1.0m/s) to win gold in women’s 100mH at Interstates.

VC: AFI India YouTube pic.twitter.com/KjVaHydA9T—Vishank Razdan (@VishankRazdan) June 24, 2026

YARRAJI EYES ASIAN GAMES GOLD

Despite the comeback victory, Yarraji admitted she is not yet at her physical peak and believes there is considerable room for improvement ahead of the Asian Games, which are around three months away.

“I was expecting a better time, maybe around 12.6 seconds, but when I came back after a year and ran under 13, I couldn’t have asked for more. I’ve been building step by step,” she said.

“The Asian Games are three months away. This is my first race, so I’m not very fit. My priority will be health, I’ll take care of my knee, rehabilitate more and I want to win gold there. It’s not my full 100 percent yet, but I have time to improve.”

Crediting her support system for helping her return to competition, Yarraji thanked coach James Hillier, South African strength and conditioning coach Wayne Lombard, the Athletics Federation of India and the Reliance Foundation for standing by her during the recovery process.

She said Lombardo’s work during the final stages of rehab played a key role in her comeback, while Hillier’s encouragement helped her stay motivated through tough times. Now hopeful that her confidence is returning and her fitness is steadily improving, Yarraji hopes to turn the Asian Games silver she won in Hangzhou into gold next year.

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Published on:

25 Jun 2026 16:20 IST