With nearly five months to go for the Tokyo World Athletics Championships, the Indian national record holder has time to improve her running between the hurdles
Asian Games silver medallist in sprint hurdles, Jyothi Yarraji has been in the forefront in the women’s 100m hurdles for more than three years at the domestic level. She has certainly reached the stratosphere zone and her rivals at the domestic level are unable to catch her up.
To have a good experience at the global showpiece event in Tokyo, which is five months away, the Indian fastest sprint hurdler Jyothi Yarraji should often compete in high quality races. Also, to enjoy her moment at the September 13 to 21 Tokyo World Athletics Championships, she should constantly clock sub 13 seconds.
At the domestic level. She doesn’t face any challenge. Even when her fitness isn’t 100 percent, she is able to dominate races at the domestic level.
“I wasn’t that fit to clock a sub 13 seconds as I’ve not been training properly for the past three weeks due to a right hamstring niggle,” the 24 years old International from Andhra Pradesh said after winning gold at just concluded domestic meet in Kerala.
Despite not being at her peak fitness, she won women’s 100m hurdles with a time of 13.23 seconds to better the Asian qualification time of 13.26 seconds at the 28th National Senior Federation Athletics Championships in Kochi between April 21 to 24.
Jyothi’s personal best and national record of 12.78 seconds was clocked in August 2023 in China. She was able to repeat her performance in May 2024 in Finland.
The results of the season’s first one-day Xiamen Diamond League suggest the Indian fastest sprint hurdler has a lot to catch up. Top six at Xiamen Diamond League clocked below 13 seconds in the women’s 100m hurdles. Jamaica’s Danielle Williams was the fastest with 12.53 seconds.
China’s national champion Wu Yanni clocked 13 seconds dead for seventh position in Xiamen.
At the 2023 Budapest World Athletics Championships, Jyothi’s best time in the preliminary round was 13.05 seconds. She didn’t qualify for the semifinal round.
At the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, her best performance in the two preliminary rounds was 13.16 seconds and 13.17 seconds. She didn’t qualify for the semifinal round.
“There was pressure to perform,” she had said of not performing up to her potential in Paris.
Will she perform up to her potential in her second World Championships in Tokyo? Jyothi trains at Reliance Academy in Mumbai under foreign expert James Hillier. She also gets ample international exposure to polish her skills. In all probability she should have an impressive run to Tokyo to bury the ghost of the 2023 edition of the Worlds in Hungary.
