Superstar Rajinikanth meets Asian Games medal winner Vithya Ramaraj

Superstar Rajinikanth met Tamil Nadu athlete Vithya Ramaraj and congratulated her on her three-medal haul at the Asian Games in Nagoya. Vithya won gold, silver and bronze, besides breaking PT Usha's 42-year-old national record in the 400m hurdles

Chennai: Tamil film superstar Rajinikanth has met Tamil Nadu athlete Vithya Ramaraj and congratulated her on her brilliant performance at the recently concluded Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

The star athlete had done the country proud by winning three medals — a gold, silver and bronze — at the Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.

---

Sources said Vithya Ramaraj’s trainer Nehpal Singh and Chennai District Masters Athletic Association president M Shenbagamoorthy were also present during the meeting.

They said superstar Rajinikanth congratulated Vithya Ramaraj on her outstanding feat and for doing the country proud.

It may be recalled that only a day earlier, actor Dhanush had met the ace athlete and congratulated her on her impressive performances in athletics at the Asian Games.

Vithya Ramaraj did not just win three medals at the Asian Games. In the process of winning one of the medals, she also broke the 42-year-old national record held by legendary Indian athlete PT Usha. She broke the record in the women’s 400m hurdles, an event in which Vithya won bronze.

Vithya clocked a personal best of 54.75 seconds to finish third in a thrilling final, improving the previous national benchmark of 55.42 seconds by 0.67 seconds. The record had been set by Usha at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, where she finished fourth in the Olympic final.

Vithya’s outstanding performance helped her break a record that had stood as one of the longest-standing records in Indian athletics.

The athlete also came in for immense praise for her efforts in powering India to gold in the women’s 4x400m relay.

India’s quartet of Kiran Pahal, M.R. Poovamma, Prachi and Vithya held their nerve in a tightly contested final to finish ahead of Bahrain, who clocked 3:30.21, while China claimed bronze in 3:31.02.

The gold marked a fitting conclusion to a remarkable Games for Vithya, who added her third medal of the competition after winning silver and bronze in her other events.

Vithya, who anchored the Indian team in the relay, quickly settled into her rhythm and began eating into the gap at the front, making her move around the 200m mark. Her powerful surge in the final leg of the race helped India clinch gold in the eagerly awaited event.