Battling injury, hurdler Jyothi Yarraji vows to get fit before Olympics
Jyothi Yarraji suffered an injury last month but despite her struggle clocked 13.05s at National Inter-State Athletics.
Jyothi Yarraji in action. (Source: Reliance Foundation)
Panchkula, Haryana: Star Indian hurdler Jyothi Yarraji clocked 13.06s in the women’s 100m hurdles final of National Inter-State Athletics on Sunday.
Coming on the back of an unfortunate injury in Finland, Jyothi Yarraji won the gold medal in a close race.
Currently ranked 34th in Road To Paris rankings, Jyothi Yarraji is comfortably placed to book a berth at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I am so happy with this performance as I am coming from an injury. After my stumble in Finland, I got a grade-two tear in my hip," Jyothi said after her race.
Running in the Motonet GP, Jyothi clocked 12.78 seconds and missed the Olympics qualification by hundredth of second.
The stumble on the last hurdle costed Jyothi her Paris qualification.
“The mis balance in the last hurdle resulted in the impact on my muscles which resulted into the injury. I came back to the country and got my MRI done," said Jyothi about the injury.
Jyothi took some rest before the Inter-State to recover.
"I only did three sessions and after that, I am here clocking 13 seconds. Till last week, I was unable to pick my knees or able to run. Thankfully, my team worked with me regularly and made sure I was able to run" Jyothi quipped.
When asked about her recovery, Jyothi said,"I think I am recovering and I will be back in next two three weeks."
Jyothi had couple of injuries in the season but she still managed to compete and clock timings close to her best.
"My season was a little stop-start as I got a hamstring pull in the indoor competition and then the stumble in Finland," said Jyothi.
However, she believes that her strong mindset will enable her good performance in Olympics.
"If I can clock this timing with an injury, I know I can do better than this. I think it is the strong mindset that has helped me," said Jyothi.
With her Paris berth almost secured, Jyothi will focus on her recovery as she will be the first Indian woman hurdler to participate in the quadrennial event.