Jyothi Yarraji: Rising Hurdler & Olympic Contender

Indian track and field athlete Jyothi Yarraji is one of the most popular sportswomen in India, In this Article of Vita Tales will discuss important information like Jyothi Yarraji Personal Best in 100m hurdles racing, her performance in the Olympics 2024, including her personal information like Jyothi Yarraji Instagram, Age, her State and other.

About Jyothi Yarraji: A Synoptic Overview

Profession	Indian Track and Field Athlete (specializes in hurdles)
Date of Birth	28 August 1999
Place of Birth	Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
Education	Pursuing studies at Acharya Nagarjuna University
Associations	Associated with the Indian Athletics team, represented India at various international events.
Jyothi Yarraji Age	25 years old (as of 2024)
Nicknames	No popular nicknames are known publicly
Epithets	Known as a rising star in Indian athletics and “India’s hurdles queen”
Jyothi Yarraji 100m Hurdles	– Holds the national record in the 100 meters hurdles – First Indian woman to run the 100m hurdles in under 13 seconds – Gold medalist in the 100m hurdles at the 2022 National Games of India
Jyothi Yarraji Height	5 feet 6 inches (approx.)
Jyothi Yarraji State	Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India
Religion	Hindu
Jyothi Yarraji Net Worth	Not available in the Public Domain
Jyothi Yarraji  Instagram	jyothi_yarraji_
Jyothi Yarraji Personal Best	Jyothi Yarraji’s Personal Bests: – 100m hurdles (outdoor): 12.78 seconds (National Record) – 60m hurdles (indoor): 8.13 seconds (National Record) – 200m: 23.13 seconds (Personal Best)

Early Life and Background

• Jyothi Yarraji was born on 28 August 1999 in Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.
• Coming from a humble background, with her father working as a security guard, and her mother supporting the family as a domestic worker. Despite limited resources, Jyothi’s family provided her with unwavering support and encouragement.

Here’s a detailed overview of Jyothi Yarraji’s educational journey from school to college and beyond, including her training as an athlete:

Jyothi’s Education

Primary and Secondary education	ST. Joseph’s School in Visakhapatnam.
Intermediate studies (Class 11 and 12)	Intermediate studies (Class 11 and 12) at Visakha Valley School
College Education	Andhra University, Visakhapatnam

• Early Education:
  • She completed her primary and secondary education at ST. Joseph’s School in Visakhapatnam.
  • After school, Jyothi pursued her intermediate studies (Class 11 and 12) at Visakha Valley School, a prestigious institution in Visakhapatnam known for promoting sports alongside academics.
  • During her high school years, she began focusing more on athletics, particularly hurdling, with strong encouragement from her family and teachers.

College Education

• After intermediate Jyothi then enrolled at Andhra University, Visakhapatnam, for her undergraduate degree. Here, she continued her formal education while competing in various national athletic events.
• She perfectly balanced her studies and training, showcasing her ability to excel academically while progressing in her sporting career.

Athletic Training and Career Development

• Professional Athletic Training:
  • In addition to her education, Jyothi received professional athletics training at the Sai-Gopichand National Athletics Academy, Hyderabad.
  • Her training at the Sai-Gopichand Academy further helped her grow into a national-level athlete specializing in the 100-meter hurdles.
  • She trained rigorously in hurdles under top coaches, refining her technique and developing the skills that eventually helped her break national records.

Jyothi’s journey in competitive athletics began in her school days when she started participating in various local and state-level athletic competitions, there also her talent and dedication to sports were recognized and appreciated. With initial successes and dedication towards the sport, Jyothi Yarraji determined to pursue a career in athletics.

Jyothi Yarraji Olympics 2024

• Jyothi Yarraji is the first Indian woman to compete in the 100m hurdles at the Olympics.
• Jyothi Yarraji failed to reach the semi-final of the women’s 100m hurdles at the Paris 2024 Olympics, she finished fourth in her repechage heat with a time of 13.17s.
• She holds the Indian national record of 12.78s but clocked slower times in both qualification rounds.
• Yarraji is the first Indian woman to compete in the 100m hurdles at the Olympics, placing 35th overall in her debut.
• Despite immense efforts, India’s track and field athletes have yet to win a medal at Paris 2024.
• In the Olympics 2024, Jyothi Yarraji world ranking was 34th in women’s 100m hurdles to make the cut-off of 40.

Jyothi Yarraji Medals, Records and Achievements

100m Hurdles National Record: – Time: 12.82 seconds (As of 2023) – Event: National Open Athletics Championships – Location: Bengaluru, India – She became the first Indian woman to break the 13-second barrier in the 100m hurdles.

Gold Medal in 100m Hurdles: – Event: 2022 National Games of India – Time: 12.79 seconds (wind-assisted) – She won gold but the timing didn’t count as a national record due to excessive tailwind.

International Achievements: – Bronze Medal: 2023 Asian Athletics Championships (100m hurdles)

Paris Olympics 2024 – Jyothi Yarraji is the first Indian woman to compete in the 100m hurdles at the Paris Olympics 2024.

Jyothi Yarraji’s Career and Journey into Athletics

• In 2015, Jyothi Yarraji first came into the spotlight after winning the gold medal at an Andhra Pradesh inter-district meet.
• The Next year, she relocated to the SAI Centre in Hyderabad to train under coach N Ramesh, an Olympian and Dronacharya awardee.
• As sports were in her veins, She consistently won medals in junior and senior national meets.
• After two years at the Hydrabad SAI Center, she joined the Center of Excellence at Gunture, but she faced a setback as the center was closed abruptly.
• In 2019, Jyothi shifted to Odisha Reliance Athletics High-Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar, where she got training under British coach James Hillier. Under James Hillier Jyothi’s progress took a little time to show.

Jyothi won Gold (clocked 13.03 seconds) at the All India Inter-University Athletics

• In January 2020, she won gold (clocked 13.03 seconds) at the All India Inter-University athletics meet in Moodabidri, Karnataka.
• This mark was enough to hand her, but it could not be ratified into the official record books. It was this performance by which she could hold a national record in Indian Women’s 100-meter hurdle.
• But it could not be ratified in the official records book as the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) did not test her before the championship and neither was there any technical delegate from the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) at the event – both prerequisites to log an official timing.
• She then went on to win another gold at the Khelo India University Games in February 2020.

Jyothi’s International debut at the South Asian Youth Games

• In the same 2020, Jyoti was poised to make her international debut at the South Asian Youth Games, but the COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her plans. As events were canceled, Jyothi had to postpone her first appearance on the international stage.

Jyothi’s Set Back Due to Injury

• Things got even worse when she was sidelined for several months due to a back injury. By the time Jyothi resumed training, the situation had grown more complicated.
• She lacked confidence because of her injury issues, “James Hillier told the Indian Express. “She was scared of hurdling at that time. In our first session, the single hurdle was at the lowest setting. She didn’t even want to go over that.”
• James Hillier and his team took a lot of patience and effort to rebuild Jyothi Yarraji’s confidence and physical strength. However, when she made her comeback she was better than ever.

Jyothi’s Comeback After Injury

• After missing nearly the entire 2021 season, Jyothi Yarraji gradually built up momentum in 2022. She began in the 13.7-second range at the All India Inter University meet in Bhubaneswar, and consistently improved her performance from there.

Jyothi Yarraji at Federation Cup in Kozhikode

• Jyothi Yarraji recorded another national-record-setting time of 13.09 seconds at the Federation Cup in Kozhikode. However, the mark could not be officially recognized because it was a wind-assisted run. The wind speed during her race read +2.1m/s just above the allowable limit of +2m/s for a national record.
• Having been denied the record not once but twice due to reasons beyond her control, Jyothi Yarraji broke down in tears at Kozhikode just after the wind reading flashed on the board.

“I tried to explain to her that on both occasions she had only been denied by bad luck. And that was a good thing because luck tends to average out over a career,” Hillier later recounted to The Hindu.

Jyothi Yarraji at the Cyprus International Athletics Meet in Limassol

• As it turned out, Hillier’s assessment was correct. Jyothi went on to finally make the official record her own in the very next event at a special meet.
• On May 10, 2022, at the Cyprus International Athletics Meet in Limassol, she marked her international debut, there she won the women’s 100m hurdles national record with a time of 13.23 seconds. shattering the previous mark of 13.38 set by Anuradha Biswal way back in 2002.
• It was an outstanding performance by the Indian, who just recovered from a poor start to win gold at the meet.
• “In India, they use a manual gun to start the race but in Europe, they use an electronic starter. I was not familiar with the sound it makes so I didn’t realise when the race had started. I only started running when I saw the other athletes start,” Jyothi Yarraji explained to The Hindu.
• With a reaction time of 0.243 seconds, Jyothi was significantly the slowest off the blocks at the meet. Yet she managed to conquer the women’s 100m hurdles national record with a time of 13.23 seconds.

Over the following month, inspired by sprint legend Usain Bolt and India’s Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion Neeraj Chopra, Jyothi Yarraji improved her own mark twice.

• After a gold medal performance of 13.11 seconds in the UK in May, she cut that time to 13.04 seconds at the Harry Schulting Games in the Netherlands just four days later.

Commonwealth Games 2022

• The Commonwealth Games 2022 in Birmingham was disappointing for Jyothi, as she failed to make it to the final, finishing 10th in the first round.
• The Indian hurdler ended the 2022 season with a flurry as she won gold in the 100m hurdles at the National Games with a personal best of 12.79 seconds. This made her the first Indian woman to break the mark of the 13-second barrier. However, it did not qualify as a national record as the wind assist during the run was +2.5m/s.

The National Games 2022

• At the National Games 2022, Jyothi Yarraji also won gold in the 100m, a non-regular event for her, by defeating Dutee Chand and Hima Das, two of India’s top women sprinters. Her time of 11.51 seconds set a new National Games record.

National Open Athletics Championships 2022

• Jyothi Broke her own national record at the National Open Athletics Championships 2022 in Bengaluru, clocking 12.82 seconds with permissible wind assistance to secure the gold medal.

Jyothi Yarraji’s Performance in 2023

• In 2023, Jyothi’s impressive form continued as the Indian Star achieved multiple podium finishes both domestically and on international stage. She claimed the silver medal in 60-meter hurdles in 2023 at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Nur-Sultan, setting a national record with a time of 8.13 seconds.

Asian Athletics Championship, Bangkok

In 2023, a major event took place at Bangkok when Jyothi Yarraji secured the gold medal at the Asian Athletics Championship with a time of 13.08 seconds in the 100-meter hurdles. She doubled up with a silver in the women’s 200m, clocking a new personal best of 23.13s.

FISU World University Games 2023

• Jyothi Yarraji broke the women’s 100m hurdles national record yet again, clocking 12.78 seconds to win a bronze medal at the FISU World University Games 2023 in Chengdu.
• With this achievement of Jyothi, her time fell just 0.01 seconds short of the qualifying standard for the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Jyothi Yarraji Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou

• At the Asian Games 2023 in Hangzhou, Jyothi Yarraji clocked 12.91 to win the silver medal.

What is a Track and Field Athlete (Specializes in hurdles) Jyothi is an athlete who competes in hurdling events within the sports category of track and field. A Track and Field Athlete specializing in hurdles is an athlete who competes in hurdling. In hurdles races an athlete has to sprint over a series of obstacles called hurdles that are placed at set intervals on the track. This is a sport where speed, agility, technique, and endurance are required to excel in it. Key Features of a Hurdles Specialist: – Hurdles Events: a. The most common distances are: 1. 100 meters hurdles (for women) 2. 110 meters hurdles (for men) 3. 400 meters hurdles (for both men and women) b. The athletes sprint and leap over evenly-spaced hurdles. – Hurdling Technique: a. While Jumping the athletes need to maintain their sprinting speed while jumping over each hurdle without losing momentum. b. This technique involves a lead leg that clears the hurdle first, followed by the trail leg. c. In this game Precision is key; hitting a hurdle can disrupt balance and slow down the athlete. – Training: a. Hurdling requires extensive training in sprint mechanics, flexibility, and explosive power. b. Athletes work on both running technique and jumping techniques to minimize the time spent in the air. – Some of the Famous Hurdling Athletes: a. Edwin Moses (USA): Known for the 400m hurdles in the 1970s and 1980s. b. Sally Pearson (Australia): Olympic gold medalist in the 100m hurdles. Role in Track and Field: Hurdles specialists are essential to track and field competitions, providing a unique mix of speed and precision. Their events are often a highlight of international athletics competitions, such as the Olympics and World Championships.

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