Records are meant to be broken: PT Usha’s emotional tribute as Vithya makes history

PT Usha, one of India’s greatest male and female athletes, congratulated Vithya Ramraj after the Indian hurdler broke her 42-year-old national record in the women’s 400m hurdles at the 2026 Asian Games. Vithya clocked a personal best of 54.75 seconds in Nagoya to win the bronze by 4.5 seconds to claim the U

Usha set the record at the Los Angeles Olympics in 1984 and it remained intact for more than four decades. Vithya equaled the mark at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou before finally surpassing it in Nagoya.reducing it by 0.67 seconds.

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“Congratulations Vithya!! Records are meant to be broken and there is no greater reward for an athlete than seeing the next generation break the boundaries we once set,” Usha wrote on X.

“Vithya Ramraj breaking my 43-year-old national record in the 400m hurdles is an incredibly special moment,” she added. PT Usha congratulated Vithya Ramraj for breaking her national record in women’s 400m hurdles at the 2026 Asian Games.(Image: Screengrab from X/@PTUshaOfficial)

Usha, who is now the president of the Indian Olympic Association, also reflected on what the record meant beyond the numbers. For the former athlete, seeing a younger Indian runner break a mark that had stood since her own Olympic campaign was a sign of how sporting milestones can propel the next generation forward.

THE RECORDING THAT INSPIRED VITHYA

“As athletes, we compete to challenge ourselves, to push the limits and ultimately leave the sport better than we found it,” Usha wrote on X. “When a young athlete comes along and breaks a milestone that takes decades, it’s a moment of pride not just for the athlete, but for the sport as well.”

“The greatest legacy of a record is not how long it stands, but how it inspires the next athlete to dream of breaking it,” she added.

Vithya’s 54.75 seconds also made her the first Indian to break the 55 second mark in the event. She had already shown how close she was to the mark when she equaled Usha’s 55.42 seconds in Hangzhou. PT Usha admits that she always inspires the next generation of athletes, which is more important than their own results. (Image: Screengrab from X/@PTUshaOfficial) Â

VITHYA ADDS A SECOND MEDAL

The record-breaking ride also brought Vithya a second medal in Nagoya. She used to help India won silver in the 4x400m medley relay, produced a strong final stretch to secure second place for the Indian quartet.

Mariam Kareem of the United Arab Emirates won gold in the 400m hurdles in a Games record 54.31 seconds, while Adelina Zems of Kazakhstan took silver in 54.58. India’s Anu Raghavan finished fifth in a personal best of 55.88 seconds.

The final in Nagoya gave Vithya a medal and a record she had been chasing since she first reached the Usha mark in Hangzhou. This time she not only equaled the benchmark, but moved it forward for the next generation.

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