Olympian Jyothi Yarraji receives prestigious Arjuna Award

Hyderabad: It is a success story that defied all odds.

It was a day to cherish for the athletics fraternity of Andhra Pradesh as Paris Olympian Jyothi Yarraji, the first Indian woman athlete to qualify for and compete in the women’s 100m hurdles at the 2024 Olympics, was presented with the prestigious Arjuna Award by Union Minister for Youth Affairs and Sports Mansukh Mandaviya in Delhi on Friday night.

The Arjuna Awards presentation ceremony had been held earlier, but Jyothi could not attend it because of her international commitments.

Among Jyothi’s outstanding achievements is setting a national record of 12.78 seconds in the women’s 100m hurdles in 2023. She also became the first Indian woman athlete to breach the 13-second barrier in the event, eclipsing a two-decade-old record.

Jyothi won gold medals at the 2023 Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok, clocking 13.09 seconds, and the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in South Korea, with a time of 12.96 seconds. She also won silver in the women’s 100m hurdles at the 2023 Asian Games, clocking 12.91 seconds.

Her other notable achievements include a medal in the 60m hurdles at the 2024 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Iran, silver at the 2023 event in Astana, Kazakhstan, and bronze at the World University Games in Chengdu.

Jyothi’s remarkable journey in Indian athletics began at Port High School in Visakhapatnam. Her career took an upward turn after she joined the Sports Authority of India’s sports hostel in 2016.

Like many athletes who have risen from humble backgrounds, Jyothi faced several challenges. Her father worked as a security guard, while her mother was a homemaker.

She is currently employed with South Central Railway and trains at the Reliance Foundation High Performance Centre under the mentorship of James Hillier.

One of the most remarkable chapters in Jyothi’s career was her comeback from a career-threatening anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury sustained on June 24, 2025. She underwent surgery followed by an extensive rehabilitation programme.

Her return to competition was impressive. She clocked 12.99 seconds to win gold in the women’s 100m hurdles at the 2026 Senior National Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in June, thereby qualifying for the 2026 Asian Games.

Those who congratulated Jyothi included MP M. V. Bharath, Andhra Pradesh Minister Gana Babu, Visakhapatnam Athletics Association (VAA) president D. Nageswara Rao, VAA general secretary M. Narayana Rao, and A. V. Raghavendra Rao, chairman of the South Indian Athletics Affairs Committee of the Athletics Federation of India.

“We hope Jyothi makes it to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and wins a medal too,” they said.