Tamil Nadu's international quarter-miler Rajesh Ramesh stamps his authority in season opener
Thiruvananthapuram, March 21
Tamil Nadu's 27-year-old international quarter-miler Rajesh Ramesh stamped his authority in the season opener competition in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
On his way to winning gold in the men's Race A at the Seventh Indian Open 400m Competition 2026 in Kerala, Ramesh posted a time 45.26 seconds, which was better than his personal best of 45.54 seconds posted in 2024.
Post 2024 Paris Olympic Games Ramesh was sidelined due to nagging injuries but made a good comeback in 2025 to clock 45.75 seconds, a season best.
Manu TS representing NCOE Trivandrum finished second in Race A with a time of 45.96 seconds. Delhi's international runner Amoj Jacob won Race C with a time of 45.99 seconds and finished overall third in the men's group.
The men's final race was divided into three groups-A, B C. The women's final race was conducted in two categories--A and B.
Vithya Ramraj of Tamil Nadu won the women's 400m race with a time of 53.31 seconds. Rashdeep Kaur representing JSW finished second with a time of 53.62 seconds. Both Vithya and Rashdeep finished first and second, respectively in Group A.
Vijay Kumari GK of Karnataka won Race B with a time of 53.55 seconds and was declared overall third in the women's 400m race.
Competition was also organised in U20 and U18 groups in both the men's and women's sections.
Results:
Men: Rajesh Ramesh (Tamil Nadu) 45.26 seconds, Manu TS (NCOE Trivandrum) 45.96 seconds, Amoj Jacob (Delhi) 45.99 seconds.
Men: U20: 400m: Piyush Raj (Bihar) 47.11 seconds, Sahil Malik (Uttarakhand) 47.28 seconds, Edvin Mathew (Kerala) 47.65 seconds.
Men: U18: 400m: Sayed Sabeer (Karnataka) 47.73 seconds, Thanish Vijay Gaddam (Maharashtra) 48.17 seconds, Hariharan R (NCOE Trivandrum) 48.31 seconds.
Women: 400m Vithya Ramraj (Tamil Nadu) 53.31 seconds, Rashdeep Kaur (JSW) 53.62 seconds, Vijay Kumari GK (Karnataka) 53.55 seconds.
Women: U20: 400m: Reshma (Uttar Pradesh) 54.84 seconds, Isha Rajesh Jadav (Maharashtra) 55.46 seconds, Dharani A (Tamil Nadu) 55.63 seconds.
Women: U18: Kashish Bhagat (Maharashtra) 56.46 seconds, Nethra M (Tamil Nadu) 59.54 seconds, Chaudhary Ashaben (Gujarat) 59.62 seconds.
— IANS
Reader Comments
So proud to see Tamil Nadu athletes dominating! Rajesh Ramesh and Vithya Ramraj both winning gold. It shows the strong sporting culture in the state. Hope they get all the support needed to qualify for the next Olympics.
As a track and field enthusiast, I have to say 45.26 is a very competitive time. If he can shave off another 0.3-0.4 seconds, he'll be in the global conversation. The depth in men's 400m in India is improving, which is great to see.
Great performance, but let's be realistic. The world record is 43.03. We are still over 2 seconds behind. While we celebrate this win, the athletics federation needs a concrete long-term plan to bridge this gap. More international exposure is key.
Heartening to see so many women athletes from different states - Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Gujarat. Vithya Ramraj's time is promising! Wishing all the young athletes like Reshma and Kashish Bhagat the very best. Jai Hind!
Injuries can really derail an athlete's career. Hats off to Rajesh for his mental strength
R Rashdeep Kaur We welcome thoughtful discussions from our readers. Please keep comments respectful and on-topic.