Vithya Ramraj (Athlete) Wiki, Height, Age, Family, Biography & More

Vithya Ramraj is an Indian athlete who participates in the 400m hurdles, relays, and races. Vithya Ramraj tied with P. T. Usha’s 400m hurdles record at 55.42 seconds. She won a bronze medal in the 400m hurdles and secured a silver medal in the 4x400m mixed relay with Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi, Rajesh Ramesh, and Subha Venkatesan at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Wiki/Biography

R. Vithya Ramraj was born on Sunday, 20 September 1998 (age 25 years; as of 2023) in Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu. Her zodiac sign is Virgo.

Vithya received her BBA degree from The Kongu Arts and Science College in Nanjanapuram, Erode, Tamil Nadu. Vithya was able to pursue her education with the help of a scholarship from The Kongu Vellalar Institute of Technology Trust (KVITT) in Perundurai. Vithya Ramraj works with the Indian Railways as a senior clerk at the Palakkad Division.

Physical Appearance

Height (approx.): 5′ 3″

Weight (approx.): 55 kg

Hair Colour: Black

Eye Colour: Black

Family

Parents & Siblings

Vithya’s father works as a truck driver. Her mother Meena is a homemaker. Vithya has two sisters. Her older sister is named Sathya, and her twin sister, Nithya Ramraj is also an athlete who competes in 100m hurdles and works in the Income Tax department. Vithya is one minute younger than her twin sister Nithya. The family lived in Coimbatore and moved to Chennai after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Career

Vithya Ramraj was enrolled in a girl’s sports school in Erode by her mother. Vithya had started sports by playing hockey when her mother enrolled her in the school in 7th standard. In the sports school, Vithya and her twin Nithya focused on athletics. Vithya then joined The Kongu Arts and Science College in Erode, where her accommodation, food, and education expenses were taken care of. Vithya started training for the 400m sprints and hurdles. In the beginning, Vithya doubted her stamina and skill to compete this distance. She said,

The 400m race is one of the hardest sprints to do. I also didn’t have the endurance I needed. During the race, I would always do well in the first 300m of the race but I never had any energy in the last 100m. There were so many races where I led until the final turn and then was overtaken by other runners. I was also not sure which event I should specialise in. I was a 400m runner but a lot of coaches told me I should focus on the 400m hurdles because I had a better chance of winning a medal there.” ^[1]Sportstar – The Hindu

Vithya started building her endurance and working on her weak spots along with Coach Nehpal Singh Rathore in 2021. Vithya commented that Coach Nehpal would make her repeat her training until she succeeded and that she used to cry while thinking about how tough the coaching was.

Vithya then trained in a national camp under Coach Galina Bukharina who coached in the Netaji Subhas National Institute of Sports in Patiala. Vithya was not able to notice an improvement in her sprints and was thinking of quitting sports. In an interview, she said,

It was frustrating to see myself unable to improve my performance and made me question myself as an athlete. I thought it would be better if I quit running and find a job to help my family. My sister did all she could to convince me to continue running. Since she had a job, she took care of my expenses for training and diet.”

In September 2021, Vithya had a big moment in her career when she won gold in three events: the 400m race, the 400m hurdles, and the 4x400m mixed relay at the National Open Championships in Warangal.

Even though people had high hopes for her as the next top 400m runner in India, Vithya didn’t make as much progress as expected while training at the national camp. After a year, she made the choice to go back to Chennai and train with Coach Nehpal. She felt a bit lost at the national camp, especially after the head coach, Galina Bukharina left. The national camp had to focus on many athletes, and Vithya wanted the more personalized attention she used to get in Chennai. This decision meant she wouldn’t get the support she used to have at the national camp, like special meals, equipment, and help with training costs. According to the Athletics Federation of India’s rules, Vithya couldn’t compete in relay events for India if she wasn’t part of the national camp. Money was tight, and Vithya didn’t have sponsors. Finally, her twin, Nithya convinced her not to quit and contributed part of her earnings from her job with the Income Tax Department. Vithya also used her own money to rent a room in Chennai’s Nungambakkam, making sure it was close to her training facility. Vithya won more medals and found herself back at the national camp. Even though she returned, she continued to follow Coach Nehpal’s training and consulted with him online. At the Grand Prix 5 in September 2023, Vithya came close to reaching the national record for 400m hurdles set by P. T. Usha. She missed the mark by 0.01 seconds.

Vithya hit the record of 55.42 seconds during the 2022 Asian Games. Vithya won the bronze medal for the 400m hurdles and silver medals for the 4x400m mixed relay and the 4x400m relay at the 2022 Asian Games.

Record(s)

• Vithya Ramraj holds the National Record for 400m hurdles along with P. T. Usha at 55.42 seconds. P. T. Usha set the record during the 1984 Summer Olympics. Vithya set the record during the 2022 Asian Games, 39 years after the original record was set.

• Vithya Ramraj along with Muhammad Ajmal, Rajesh Ramesh, and Subha Venkatesan holds the National Record for the 4x400m mixed relay at 3:14.70 seconds set during the 2022 Asian Games.
  

  Vithya Ramraj with her 4x400m mixed relay team including Muhammad Ajmal Variyathodi, Rajesh Ramesh, and Subha Venkatesan

Medals

Gold

400m Sprint

• 2021: 60th National Open Athletics Championships in Warangal, Telangana.

• 2022: Indian Grand Prix, Bhubaneshwar.

400m Hurdles

• 2021: 60th National Open Athletics Championships in Warangal, Telangana.

• 2022: XXXII Qosanov Memorial International Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan.
  

  Vithya Ramraj posing with the gold medal that she won at the XXXII Qosanov Memorial International Championship in Almaty, Kazakhstan

• 2022: Indian Grand Prix, Thiruvananthapuram.

• 2022: All India Inter-Railway Athletics Championship, Uttar Pradesh.

• 2022: Indian National Games, Gujarat.

• 2022: National Open Athletics Championships in Bengaluru.

• 2023: Indian Grand Prix 5, Chandigarh

4×400 Relay

• 2021: 60th National Open Athletics Championships in Warangal, Telangana.

• 2022: 4×400 metres relay (mixed) category at the All India Inter-Railway Athletics Championship, Uttar Pradesh.

• 2022: Indian National Games, Gujarat.

Silver

100m Hurdles

• 2015: 100m hurdles at the Ranchi Indian Under 18 Championships.

• 2018: 100m hurdles at the Tirunelveli Tamil Nadu State Championships

200m Sprint

2017: Vijayawada Indian U20/U18/U16 Championships

4x400m Relay

• 4x400m relay at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou (2022 Asian Games).

• 4x400m mixed relay at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou (2022 Asian Games).
  

  Vithya Ramraj with her teammates from the 4x400m relay at the 2022 Asian Games

Bronze

400m Sprint

• 2018: Moodbidri Inter-University Championships.

• 2019: Memoriál Jaroslava Brože in Czech Republic.

• 2022: All India Inter-Railway Athletics Championship, Uttar Pradesh.

400m Hurdles

19th Asian Games in Hangzhou (2022 Asian Games).

Congrats to Vithya Ramraj for winning the Bronze medal in Women’s 400m Hurdles event.

Her tenacity and determination has led to this truly promising performance. Best wishes for her future endeavours. pic.twitter.com/RTniT2Mdjz

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) October 3, 2023