Asian Games: Jyothi Yarraji bags historic silver; Jinson Johnson completes full medal set

Jyothi Yarraji capped a memorable year in style by winning silver in the women’s 100m hurdles event at the Asian Games in Hangzhou on Sunday, October 1. Yarraji’s silver is the maiden medal for India in the women’s 100m hurdles event at the competition and also India’s best result ever. She clocked a time of 12.91s in the final. Fellow athlete and defending champion Jinson Johnson also scripted history at the Hangzhou Asian Games by becoming only the second Indian to win a medal in multiple editions of the games in the men’s 1500m event. Jinson clocked a time of 3:39.74s in the final to win bronze.

“This was my first Asian Games. So I’m feeling very happy to win silver. There was a lot of responsibility on my shoulders. My idols are Neeraj bhaiya (Neeraj Chopra) and my coach James Hillier. He motivated me a lot before the final. The coach explained everything to me and it helped me visualise the final and then execute our plans. I want to thank him and Reliance Foundation for their unconditional support,” Yarraji said after her achievement.

She has now set her sights on doing even better in the next year. “In the upcoming season, I will look to improve on my timings further. I will work even harder. The start was tough for me because I didn’t do any wrong but I tried to put it aside. It just motivated me to do even better,” Yarraji said when asked about the drama that unfolded at the start of the race that saw the result being reviewed.

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James Hillier, Athletics Director, lauded Yarraji’s poise and grit in the face of adversity on the big stage.

“It has been a rollercoaster day. We were disappointed when Jyothi didn’t qualify for the 200m final earlier today. She regathered her thoughts extremely well though to set that aside and regain her focus for the hurdles final. Ultimately, there was a lot of drama but she held her nerve and got the job done. The silver medal is a great achievement. It is a testament to the great year she has had.

“It has been a very long year and it’s very hard to prepare for a competition this late in the year. Jyothi has done really well to keep delivering. Winning a medal in the Asian Games is a huge deal for an Indian athlete. It is a very big moment for her and I’m delighted for her,” Hillier said.

Speaking after the final, Jinson said the medal was very gratifying considering the various injury setbacks he has suffered in the last four years.

“I am very happy. I didn’t compete at all at the international level in the three previous years. This is my third Asian Games medal, so it’s very special. I already had won Gold and Silver in Jakarta and now I have a bronze, so I have the complete set. I was in 4th position entering the home straight, I managed to move up to 3rd in the last 30 metres with a strong finish and I’m happy with this display,” the RF athlete said after the final.

Ajith Markose, coach at RF endurance centre in Ooty, touched upon Jinson’s journey over the last few years.

On hardships Jinson faced

“After being at the peak of his career in 2019, Jinson suffered a debilitating ACL injury while training in the US. It was the sports science team at the Sir HN Reliance Foundation Hospital that managed to successfully treat the injury and his rehab was led by Reliance Foundation’s physiotherapist Ronak Hosabettu. It was a really tough time for Jinson as his injury had to be managed very carefully. Most of the time, he was struggling to even walk. At the Asian Athletics Championships earlier this year, he picked up a hamstring niggle before his race and couldn’t do well, finishing out of the medals.”

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Jinson’s turnaround

“In Indian Grand Prix 5, he ran under 3:40 for the 1st time since 2019. He clocked his season best of 3:39.32s there to win Gold. He gained a lot of confidence from that and has been in excellent shape since then. He carried that confidence and delivered here. This medal is a reflection of his experience. He’s an athlete who knows how to deliver on the big stage. He has always been a big stage performer. Huge salute to him considering all the adversities he has had to overcome. For a middle-distance runner past 30 to come back from an injury like this is not easy. This is a fantastic display from him.

“The heats are always usually slower. Jinson’s heat was slow but he knew all he needed was a top six finish, so he held his position very well. In the heat, the strategy was to only qualify for the final and expend as little energy as possible.”

RF athletes have won a total of seven medals in Huangzhou so far. Apart from Jinson and Jyothi, Kartik Kumar and Gulveer Singh notched an unprecedented 2-3 finish in the men's 10000m event. Dhruv Kapila was also part of the men's team in badminton, who registered their best ever finish by winning silver. Teen phenom Palak Gulia was the first RF athlete to medal at this edition, winning gold in the women's 10m air pistol event as well as a silver in the women's 10m air pistol team event.

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