Vithya Ramaraj secures track and field second place for India with a strong final stretch

Vithya Ramaraj chased down her opponent on the final stretch to secure a second-place finish for India in the four-hundred-metre combined track event at the continental games. When the passing stick reached her in third position on Thursday, Bahrain was far ahead and Vietnam held the runner-up spot. Her three partners had already completed their segments. Manu TS began the race in second place, senior runner Poovamma MR handled the second lap despite falling behind early, and Vishal Thennarasu closed the distance during the third lap. Vithya admitted she felt nervous watching from the sidelines before her turn. Before stepping onto the track, she made eye contact with her coach, Nehpal Singh, and recalled his plan to run fast for the first hundred metres, hold the speed, and stay strong at the end. UAE had already dropped their passing stick, while Bahrain took the gold medal with a time of 3:12.87. Vithya pushed past the Vietnamese runner near the end, crossing the finish line in 3:14.46 to claim the silver medal for India by a margin of 0.08 seconds.