In the women’s 100m hurdles final at the Inter State National Championships, Jyothi Yarraji stared at the big screen after the race. Once it flashed 12.99s in front of her name, she fell on the track, virtually hugging it and feeling it.
The celebration showed how much it had meant to return to the track after a year-long layoff due to an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury. She breezed through the hurdles to breach the Asian Games qualification mark and go under 13s in the final to claim the national title.
Last year, Jyothi was bound for the World Championships, but a freak injury during training, where she hit a hurdle, kept her away from the track.
“I felt so good today. Interestingly, exactly one year back, I got injured and today I am here clocking sub 13s, it means a lot for me,” Jyothi told the reporters after her race. “I was expecting a better race. Something around 12.6s, but that’s okay. I have been praying every day since I got injured on this day.”
Jyothi was expected to return at the Federation Cup last month. However, a hamstring pull delayed her comeback. “I was planning to come back at the Federation Cup, but I pulled my hamstring. A big thanks to AFI, who allowed me to compete and always encouraged me,” said Jyothi.
Overcoming the mental fear
Jyothi’s injury came as a big setback for Indian athletics, given that the calendar was packed with the Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.
“During my recovery, I was praying every day. A lot of thoughts came into my head. Is this the end of the journey? Is it all over for me? But I told myself that, no, there is a lot more for me there,” said Jyothi.
When she got back on track, removing the mental fear became more important than the physical recovery. “When I started training again, I was scared of the hurdles. I used cushioning on the top of hurdles, so it doesn’t hurt me. Even during the first race today, I was a little scared. But once I completed the race, my nerves calmed down,” said Jyothi.
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The one-year recovery has seen Jyothi return mentally tougher than before. “The reason I was able to run under 13s today is because I’m mentally stronger. While I’m not sure how much physically I have improved, this injury has made me 10 times strong mentally,” she said.
Team behind recovery
Jyothi, who trains at Reliance Foundation, received consistent support from her coach, James Hillier and the team behind the scenes working on her recovery.
“When I was injured, my coach, James, was not here. He was in Europe. He immediately said that I’m sorry for not being there, but don’t worry, you’ll make a comeback,” said Jyothi.
“As I was preparing for my comeback, coach James wrote a letter for me. Gave me my favourite blueberries and told me that I would become a champion. Such small gestures mean a lot to me. My team of Tanvi, Janki and Siddharth sir have been a constant support for me. I couldn’t have come back without these guys,” she added further.
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Recently, Jyothi started working with renowned strength and conditioning coach Wayne Lombard, who aided her recovery. “I have been working with Wayne, sir, for the past two months, and his addition to the team has made a big difference. I think as my fitness improves, I will go further low in my timings,” she said.
With the timing of 12.99s, Jyothi is set on course for the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi Nagoya.
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