Reliance Foundation’s Jyothi Yarraji Makes History: Clinches Gold and New National Record at Asian Indoor Athletics Championships

RF athlete Jyothi Yarraji won India's first medal at the ongoing Asian Indoor Athletics
Championships in Tehran (Iran), winning Gold in the 60m Hurdles event with a new National
Record timing of 8.12s.

The performance is a great 2024 season opener for Jyothi, who bettered her own NR from last
year's edition at Kazakhstan, where she won silver.

Speaking about the achievement, Jyothi Yarraji said, “The Asian Indoor Athletics Championship
was a very good experience. It's the start of the season and the first international competition of
the season, so I am very happy with the performance. This gold medal is special. I was a little
worried about the pain in the hamstring last week, but my team and physiotherapists at
Reliance Foundation worked hard to make me competition-ready. I am thankful to the Odisha
government and the Reliance Foundation for helping me prepare for the competition. I am
happy with the way I have started the season.”

Jyothi trained at the Kalinga Indoor Athletics Stadium for the competition. She also participated
in the first Indoor Athletics Test Meet organized by Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High
Performance Center. Jyothi continues her excellent from 2023, where she won silver in the
100m hurdles event at the Asian Games & also won two medals at the Asian Championships.

Speaking about her effort, James Hillier, Athletics Director, Reliance Foundation, said, "It was a
really good result for Jyothi, we did a 3 week training camp in Bhubaneswar. It was a very
helpful session. She wanted to start the season on a good note. She had a small injury during
her training, nothing serious but she couldn’t train for a week. Now she is back in form. This was
a good race for her."

Jyothi was scouted into the RF Athletics Program in 2021 and has been a residential athlete at
our High Performance Centres in Odisha and more recently, at the RF National Athletics Centre
based at the Jio Institute in Ulwe.
Out of the total Indian contingent of 15 athletes, 7 athletes representing India at the Asian
Indoor Championships are training at RF Centres across Ulwe (Sprints & Throws), Coonoor
(Endurance) and Bhubaneswar (Jumps).

The Reliance Foundation Athletes who will be in action at the Asian Indoor Athletics
Championships include:
• E Baranica (Pole Vault)
• VK Elakkiyadasan (60m)
• Tejas Ashok Shirse (60m hurdles)
• Mohammed Afsal (800m)
• Gulveer Singh (3000m)
• Dhanvir (Shot Put)