COIMBATORE: For truck driver Ramraj, the pride of seeing his daughter Vithya Ramraj rewrite legendary athlete PT Usha’s 42-year-old record had barely sunk in when she gave him an even bigger reason to celebrate by anchoring India’s women’s 4x400m relay team to clinch gold in the Asian Games.
Vithya had earlier anchored India to a silver medal in the 4x400m mixed relay event. So far, she has won three medals in three athletics events she participated in.
For Ramraj, Vithya’s remarkable achievements are the culmination of years of financial hardship, sacrifice and unwavering support for his daughter’s sporting ambitions.
“I was confident that Vithya would win medals, and she has proved it by helping India win gold. Breaking PT Usha’s long-standing record and then winning gold the very next day is a matter of immense pride for me. She was also part of India’s silver medal-winning mixed relay team,” he said.
Ramraj has three daughters. His eldest is married, while Vithya and Nithya are twins. Despite his limited means, he did everything possible to support their education and sporting ambitions.
“I could afford to send them to a private school only until Class 5. Because of financial constraints, I admitted them to a government-aided school in Coimbatore. The turning point came when a physical education teacher recognised their potential and encouraged them to take up athletics while they were in Class 7,” Ramraj said.
The twins later moved to a Sports Development Authority of Tamil Nadu hostel in Erode, where they pursued their studies alongside intensive athletics training. Their performances at State and national-level competitions eventually earned them government jobs, with Vithya joining the Railways and Nithya the Income Tax Department.
The sisters have remained close training partners throughout their sporting journey, constantly motivating and pushing each other to excel. “Nithya competed alongside Vithya at the previous Asian Games in China but could not participate this time after suffering an injury during training,” Ramraj said.
An elated Nithya said she had always believed in her sister’s ability to excel at the highest level. “Vithya was in excellent form and has gone on to achieve one success after another. We are extremely proud of her,” she said.