CM Vijay rewards Vithya Ramraj yet again after 4x400m relay gold at Asian Games

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister C Joseph Vijay has announced another cash reward for athlete Vithya Ramraj after she helped India win gold in the women’s 4x400m relay at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. The Tamil Nadu Government will provide Ramraj with an incentive of Rs 75 lakh after the quartet of Kiran Pahal, MR Poovamma, Prachi and Ramraj clocked 3:29.69 to beat Bahrain and China.

This is the third cash incentive announced for Ramraj during the ongoing Asian Games. Vijay had earlier announced Rs 50 lakh for Ramraj and Vishal T K after their mixed 4x400m relay silver. He then rewarded Ramraj with another Rs 30 lakh after she won bronze in the 400m hurdles and broke PT Usha’s 42-year-old national record.

“Heartfelt congratulations and appreciation to athlete Vithya Ramraj for bringing pride to Tamil Nadu and India by winning the gold medal in the women’s 4x400m relay at the Asian Games currently being held in Japan,” Vijay wrote.

“In recognition of her outstanding achievement, the Tamil Nadu Government will provide her with a cash incentive of Rs 75 lakh. This is Vithya Ramraj’s third medal at the ongoing Asian Games,” Vijay wrote.

“She has achieved this historic feat through her talent, hard work and dedication. Vithya Ramraj’s success will inspire a new generation of young athletes in Tamil Nadu,” Vijay wrote.

“I extend my heartfelt wishes to Vithya Ramraj for many more successes in the future and hope she continues to bring pride to Tamil Nadu and India,” Vijay added.WHO OTHERS DID CM VIJAY REWARD?

Vijay has also rewarded several other Tamil Nadu athletes during the 2026 Asian Games. Cricketer G Kamalini received Rs 75 lakh after being part of India’s women’s T20 gold-medal-winning team. Badminton player A Hariharan was awarded Rs 30 lakh after India’s men’s team won bronze.

Baranica Elangovan received Rs 30 lakh after her women’s pole vault bronze, while squash players Joshna Chinappa and Velavan Senthilkumar were given Rs 30 lakh each after their mixed doubles bronze. Abhay Singh was rewarded Rs 50 lakh after winning silver in men’s singles squash.VITHYA RAMRAJ’S IMPRESSIVE ASIAN GAMES CAMPAIGN

Ramraj has been one of India’s standout athletes in Aichi-Nagoya, returning with three medals from three events. She began her campaign with silver in the mixed 4x400m relay, producing a strong anchor leg as India clocked 3:14.46. The Indian quartet of Manu TS, MR Poovamma, Vishal T K and Ramraj finished behind Bahrain, which set a Games record of 3:12.87.

Ramraj then delivered a landmark performance in the women’s 400m hurdles. She clocked a personal best of 54.75 seconds to win bronze and, more importantly, broke PT Usha’s 42-year-old national record of 55.42 seconds.

Usha had set the mark at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, while Ramraj had equalled it at the 2023 Asian Games. In Nagoya, she lowered the record by 0.67 seconds and became the first Indian woman to break the 55-second barrier in the event.

Ramraj completed her medal haul with another strong performance in the women’s 4x400m relay, finishing ahead of Bahrain’s 3:30.21 and China’s 3:31.02. The victory also gave India its first athletics gold medal of the Games.

The three medals, a mixed relay silver, an individual hurdles bronze and a women’s relay gold, have made Ramraj one of the key Indian performers at the Asian Games.- Ends