“I was really crying a lot; I was struggling every night.” This, according to Jyothi Yarraji, was her frame of mind earlier this month. The problem was a freak hamstring injury she sustained after tripping over a hurdle in training. Worried at the possibility of having to miss the upcoming Asian Athletics Championships 2025, Yarraji rested, cried, prayed and hoped that the injury healed in time. One chance was all she prayed for and on Tuesday, at the 2025 Federation Cup at Kochi, that chance presented itself. And Yarraji grabbed it with both hands. She clocked 13.23s to win the women’s 100m hurdles. ‘Did not train’ Having already breached the qualification mark for the Asian Athletics Championships 2025 at the National Games earlier this year, Yarraji had already set her sights on the marquee event. But after the freak injury earlier this month, Yarraji feared the worst. “I was unable to train. We prepared for the Asian Championships for the last 6-months and for one mistake, I don’t want to punish myself,” she said in …