Rajesh Ramesh and Vithya Ramraj strike gold at Indian Open Athletics 400m

Tamil Nadu’s Rajesh Ramesh and Vithya Ramraj delivered standout performances in the 400m events at the Indian Open athletics meet, marking an impressive start to the domestic season.

Ramesh clinched the men’s 400m Race A title with a time of 45.26 seconds, improving on his previous personal best of 45.54 seconds set in 2024. The performance underlined a strong comeback for the quarter-miler, who had dealt with injuries following the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Manu TS of NCOE Trivandrum finished second in Race A with a timing of 45.96 seconds, while Delhi’s Amoj Jacob clocked 45.99 seconds to win Race C and secure third place overall in the men’s category. The men’s 400m competition was conducted across three races, A, B and C, with final standings determined by overall timings.

Vithya Ramraj leads the women’s field

In the women’s 400m, Vithya Ramraj of Tamil Nadu topped Race A with a time of 53.31 seconds. Rashdeep Kaur of JSW followed closely, finishing second with 53.62 seconds.

Karnataka’s Vijay Kumari GK won Race B in 53.55 seconds and was placed third overall based on combined timings. The women’s event featured two races, A and B.

The competition also highlighted emerging talent across age groups. In the U20 men’s 400m, Bihar’s Piyush Raj led the field with 47.11 seconds, while Karnataka’s Sayed Sabeer topped the U18 category.

Among women, Reshma of Uttar Pradesh won the U20 race, and Maharashtra’s Kashish Bhagat finished first in the U18 event.