R. Vithya Ramraj of Tamil Nadu within the 400m run within the 62nd Nationwide Inter State Athletics Championship at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Monday, June 19, 2023.
| Photograph Credit score: RITU RAJ KONWAR
Final 12 months was a shocking one for Vithya Ramraj. The 25-year-old from Tamil Nadu, who had been residing within the shadows of larger names earlier, equalled P.T. Usha’s Nationwide file on her technique to the 400m hurdles bronze within the Hangzhou Asian Video games the place she additionally helped India to silver medals within the 4x400m ladies’s and blended relays.
The quartermiler-hurdler was the toast of the nation then however her beautiful progress had additionally raised eyebrows amongst shut followers of the game. Now, the concern strains have gone deeper.
Regardless of this being an Olympic 12 months, Vithya has nonetheless not joined the nationwide camp for quartermilers and relay runners which is presently on in Thiruvananthapuram.
“I don’t know the place she is. She was within the Reliance (Basis) centre however for some motive she was expelled from Reliance… someone informed me that she is in Chennai,” Radhakrishnan Nair, the chief nationwide coach, informed The Hindu from the Chennai airport on Monday evening.
Someday in mid-February, there was discuss that needles, syringes and banned substances have been present in a high academy in Mumbai following which just a few athletes have been expelled from there.
Vithya, additionally the Nationwide Video games 400m champion, didn’t reply calls or messages from this author the previous couple of days however, late on Monday evening, her coach Nehpal Singh claimed that these have been merely rumours.
“These are simply rumours unfold by people who find themselves not pleased with Vithya doing nicely. She is now coaching with me in Chennai for the final three weeks,” stated Nehpal.
“A couple of of my athletes have been referred to as to the Reliance camp, I used to be additionally referred to as to educate them. We, together with Vithya, (her twin sister) Nithya and Siva (a sprinter), have been there in Mumbai for a while. The services there have been good, however I used to be not comfy with the company method of issues, so I left. And my athletes additionally left with me. Vithya was not expelled from the centre.”
Nehpal additionally confirmed that Vithya will likely be operating the 400m Indian Open, the Indian monitor and discipline season-opener for seniors, in Thiruvananthapuram on March 18.
Earlier, in October, 23 athletes from varied sports activities have been expelled from the JSW’s Encourage Institute of Sport in Ballari, Karnataka, after syringes have been discovered in lots of locations within the coaching centre.
