‘Can go under 54’: After breaking PT Usha’s 42-year-old record, coach Vithya Ramraj sets new target

Vithya Ramraj with his trainer Nehpal Singh Nehpal Singh is basking in glory as coach Vithya Ramraj broke PT Usha’s 42-year-old record three years after equaling the elusive women’s 400m hurdles record at the last Asian Games in Hangzhou.Asked about the five-year plan that took Indian athletics to a new high as his charge dipped below 55 seconds and lowered the new mark to 54.75 seconds, the Rajasthan-based coach, whose family has settled in Salem for the past 20 years, said, “Vithya would have set the record herself last year if not for the injury at the Asian Championships, but she suffered a serious injury at the Asian Championships and still won the bronze. This year I he waited impatiently for everything to go right, and today she did.’“I knew she would peak in this competition. I was almost sure she would do under 54.5, but it was 54.7. But that’s okay, because you can’t perform at such a high level without progress. At the meeting in Delhi on September 10, she fell from the hurdle; otherwise we expected around 55.0s there, then the national progress record Naples from there (that sprinter) -h. from Nagoya.Asian Games full coverage | Medal Tally | ScheduleAsked what sacrifices the 28-year-old Coimbatore native has made, he said, “She is very dedicated. Both of us didn’t go home all year because we were training fully focused for the big meet.”Nehpal, who started coaching her in 2021 and holds a World Athletics coaching certification, praised Vithya for her dedication. “Vithya is the most consistent athlete. She has been in the top three in 400m in India for the last five years. And she has been number one in the 400m hurdles for the last five years.”“The day she asked me, ‘Do I want to join you in training’… I was like, yes, we can do it. OK. We can do this national record. Once the national record was tied, I realized she could do a lot more. My plan was under 55. And this year we figured no, we can go under 54,” said Nehpal, who also trains Nithya’s twin sister, Nithya. Nithya, who is recovering from injury, finished seventh in the 100m hurdles at the last Asiad.Going forward, the coach and Vithya have set their sights on the World Championships and the LA Games. “The qualifying mark for the World Championships and the Olympics is 54.0s. Otherwise, he will easily qualify for the Games based on his placement,” he added, without going into details of the next five-year plan.