Asian Games 2026: Vithya Ramraj Breaks PT Usha’s 42-Year Record, Gulveer Singh Wins Second Silver for India

A national record that had stood for 42 years finally fell, and Gulveer Singh collected his second silver as India’s athletes delivered another productive day at the Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya on Monday.

Vithya Ramraj clocked 54.75 seconds in the women’s 400m hurdles to break the mark set by PT Usha at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics and secure bronze. Gulveer followed with a personal best of 3:36.72 in the men’s 1500m, finishing just 0.37 seconds behind the gold medallist.

In boxing, Kapil Pokhariya reached the men’s 90kg semifinals with a unanimous victory, joining Lovlina Borgohain and Priya in assuring India of medals.

After Gulveer’s silver, India’s tally stood at 41 medals: four gold, 18 silver and 19 bronze. The country was placed 12th in the standings.

Vithya Goes Beyond the Record She Had Equalled

Vithya had matched Usha’s national record of 55.42 seconds in 2023. On Monday, she lowered it by 0.67 seconds, producing a personal best to take sole possession of the Indian record.

Her 54.75-second run earned bronze in a fast final. The UAE’s Mariam Kareem won gold with a Games record of 54.31 seconds, while Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems took silver in 54.58.

India’s Anu Raghavan also recorded a personal best, finishing fifth in 55.88 seconds.

For Vithya, the result combined a podium finish with a breakthrough in an event whose national benchmark had endured since Usha’s Olympic run more than four decades ago.

Gulveer’s Last-Lap Kick Delivers Silver

Gulveer stayed in contention through the 12-man 1500m final before accelerating on the last lap to secure second place, according to the Athletics Federation of India.

Japan’s Kazuto Iizawa won in a Games record of 3:36.35. Gulveer finished in 3:36.72, comfortably ahead of Japan’s Nagiya Mori, who took bronze in 3:37.92.

The other Indian in the final, Yoonus Shah, finished ninth in 3:43.88.

The silver added to Gulveer’s runner-up finish in the men’s 10,000m on Friday. He had clocked 28:29.38 in that race, behind Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew, who won in 28:27.51.

Kapil Punches His Way Into the Medals

Kapil used his height and reach to control his quarterfinal against South Korea’s Kim Gichae, winning by a unanimous 5-0 decision.

His left hooks repeatedly found their target in the opening round, which all five judges awarded to the Indian. He maintained the pressure in the second, forcing a standing count after a succession of clean punches.

Kim attacked more aggressively in the final round, but Kapil retained his advantage to book a semifinal place and guarantee a medal.

Earlier, Lovlina defeated South Korea’s Seong Suyeon in the women’s 75kg quarterfinal, while Priya beat Tajikistan’s Mijgona Samadova in the women’s 60kg category. Both also advanced to the semifinals, assuring India of podium finishes.

With inputs from ANI