Jyothi Yarraji clocked 13.14 in Heat 1 of the 100m hurdles to qualify for the Asian Games 2026. | Photo Credit: RELIANCE FOUNDATION

Nearly a year after an ACL tear to her right leg ended her season, Indian national record holder Jyothi Yarraji made a winning return to the track at the Inter-State Athletics Championships.

With her right knee strapped with brown kinesiology tape, Jyothi won her heat at the Kalinga Stadium with a time of 13.14 seconds. By itself, the time would not rate particularly high in Jyothi’s all-time record, not surprising considering she holds the national record of 12.78 seconds, but this result is still an important one.

It ensured the 25-year-old will be on a flight to the Asian Games in Nagoya in a couple of months’ time to try and improve on the silver she won at the previous edition of the continental Games in Hangzhou.

Although Jyothi had completed her rehabilitation from surgery a couple of months ago, there had been some concerns over how she would perform at the Inter-State Championships, especially since she had not taken part in any smaller build-up competitions previously.

However, she showed few signs of rust. She took the lead by the third hurdle and cleared every one of the 10 obstacles on her path cleanly.

ALSO READ: Uzbekistan could be main challenger at 2026 Chess Olympiad: Viswanathan Anand

Rather than celebrate the fact that she had booked her spot for the Asian Games, Jyothi quickly rushed off the track to prepare for the 100m hurdles final later in the evening.

She will be extra motivated to make up for the time she has been away from the track.

Jyothi’s injury, sustained during a training session last July, had come when it seemed she had been in particularly good form.

She had opened her season by winning double gold in the 100m hurdles and 200m at the National Games in February and followed it up with another title at the Federation Cup. She had then clinched gold at the Asian Athletics Championships in May and won the 100m hurdles title at the Taiwan Athletics Open before her injury setback.

Published on Jun 24, 2026