Jyothi Yarraji

In her early years, Jyothi kept her growing passion for athletics a secret from her parents until around 2015 when she competed in a South Zone event. Inspired by her physical education instructor and the participation of her seniors, Jyothi initially participated in the 100m hurdles. This resulted in her involvement in numerous junior-level competitions.

Jyothi’s professional training journey began in 2019 under the guidance of James Hillier, a British coach, at the Odisha Athletics High-Performance Centre situated in Bhubaneswar. Hillier, a former National Coach and Athlete Development Manager for England Athletics, and currently the Head Coach of the Reliance Foundation Odisha Athletics High-Performance Centre, noticed Jyothi’s potential during the Khelo India University Games in 2020 where she bagged the gold in a timing of 13.77s.

Upon Jyothi’s arrival at the high-performance center after lockdown, it was evident she was battling with low self-confidence and physical health issues. Her weight had dropped significantly to around 48-49 kgs. Initially, Jyothi Yarraji was even fearful of hurdling which led to Hillier to start with shorter distances. With the help of a supportive team, including a physiotherapist and a strength and conditioning coach, they worked together to restore Jyothi’s fitness. Finally, the hard work paid off.

In 2020, Jyothi Yarraji established a new personal best during the All India Inter-University Athletics meet in Moodabidri, Karnataka, with a remarkable 13.03 second timing. This record, unfortunately, wasn’t officially recognized because no representatives from the NADA were present to conduct a post-competition test, and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) failed to send a technical delegate.

Following this, her 13.09-second run at the Federation Cup in Kozhikode was not accepted as a record, as it was a wind-aided performance, with wind speeds recorded at +2.1m/s. Jyothi’s breakthrough moment came in May, when she won the Cyprus International Athletics event in 2022 where she posted a timing of 13.23 seconds and breaking Anuradha Biswal’s 20-year-old record of 13.38 seconds. 

Eleven days later, she bettered her own timing to 13.11 seconds at the Loughborough International Athletics Meet. Her most impressive performance came on May 26th at the Harry Schulting Games, when she clocked 13.04 seconds, just 0.01 seconds off her then personal best. Later that year in October, she made history as the first Indian female hurdler to break the 13-second barrier at the National Open Athletics Championships in Bengaluru, posting a time of 12.82 seconds with wind assistance of +0.9 m/s.

Jyothi Yarraji was born on August 28, 1999, Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India. She was born on August 28, 1999 to Suryanarayana and Kumari. Her father worked as a security guard, while her mother worked part-time as a cleaner in a city hospital.