Vithya Ramraj twins pushing each other to nurse their dreams
BHUBANESWAR:
Vithya Ramraj
couldn't have been luckier. The athlete from Coimbatore, who competed in 4x400m relay at the Paris Olympics, is doing what she loves the most. And with the people she loves the most.
The 26-year-old, who will now compete in the 400m at the World Athletics Continental Tour Bronze event in Bhubaneswar on Sunday, couldn't stop gushing about how special it was to play the sport alongside her twin sister, Nithya.
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Nithya has also made the cut for the event and will take part in the 200m sprint.
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Speaking about competing together, Vithya said, 'If I'm tired of doing things repeatedly, or feel like vomiting, or have a lactic acid build-up, or even if I lie down on the track for a break, she (Nithya) will push me and encourage me to keep going on.
She keeps telling me, 'You can do it. Come on. You are the best athlete on the track'. She'll also give me water, wake me up and tell me to run, run and run.'
It's indeed special to have someone support you in that way, and thanks to this mutual encouragement, the duo has achieved a lot. Apart from competing at the Olympics, Vithya, the elder of the two, won multiple medals at the Hangzhou
Asian Games
and a bronze in 400m hurdles at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, earlier this year.
Now, she is in line to compete at the World Championships in 400m hurdles to be held in Tokyo in September.
Nithya is the second-fastest 100m hurdler in the country, behind Jyothi Yarraji, after clocking 13.04 last year. She had a good outing at the Tamil Nadu State Athletics Championships in July. But she knows she will have to do much better in order to qualify for the Asian Games next year. 'My target will be to run 12.7 seconds in the coming months, and to achieve that, I will have to speed up in between my hurdles.
For that, I will have to work on increasing my bone strength as well as my muscles,' said Nithya.
The duo credited their coach Nehpal Singh for all their success. 'If I need anything, I go and ask him directly. If I'm having my periods, or have stomach pain or chest pain, I can tell him without hesitation. Also, if I want to wear something stylish during the races, I'll ask him whether it looks good,' added the younger of the two.
Their coach was also more than happy to see them succeed and said, 'I would say that chemistry is all that works finally because it's not who you are or what you are, it's what you make as a team (that matters).'
But as far as this competition is concerned, he doesn't want to push the duo too much. He wants them to achieve their personal best timings and stay in good shape ahead of the Inter-state Athletics Championships to be held in Chennai later this month.
Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!
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