Vithya Ramraj, a 28-year-old athlete from Meenakshipuram in Coimbatore, finished third to take bronze in the women's 400m hurdles event at Japan's 2026 Asian Games. She ran a personal best of 54.75 seconds, becoming the first Indian woman to finish the event in under 55 seconds. The time also erased P.T. Usha's long-standing national record of 55.42 seconds, set at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. Vithya added two more medals at the Games, a gold in the women's 4x400m relay and a silver in the mixed 4x400m relay.