Jyothi Yarraji made the country proud on 13 July by creating history at the Asian Athletics Championships in Bangkok.
This track and field athlete is the first-ever Indian to win gold in the 100-metre hurdles at the Championships.
She clocked a time of 13.09 seconds and narrowly missed breaking the meet record of 12.97 seconds due to rain.
She is also the only Indian woman to run sub-13 seconds, which she has done six times in 2023 alone. Her national record stands at 12.82 seconds.
“I wanted to do my personal best. I only thought about the time. Had I thought of a medal that would have put pressure on me,” said the 23-year-old.
Hailing from Visakhapatnam, the hurdler comes from humble beginnings. Her father works as a security guard and her mother works as a domestic help.
At the school where Jyothi studied, most girls were married off after Class 10, said her headmistress to The Bridge.
Even her parents wanted her to get married, but saying ‘no’ to that gave birth to one of India’s finest athletes.
Taking care of her family by herself was her motivation behind choosing to take up athletics. But with a family income of Rs 7,000 per month in 2015, it was her teacher who helped her.
Her school physical education teacher Srinivasa Reddy spotted her talent and gave her Rs 500 for spikes, which she wore for many years.
She trained at the Sports Authority of India sports hostel in Hyderabad and now trains at the Reliance Foundation.
She will next sprint in the 200-metre race on Sunday at the Championships.