India’s Jyothi Yarraji faced disappointment at the Paris 2024 Olympics as she failed to advance to the semifinals of the women’s 100m hurdles. Competing in the repechage round on Thursday, Yarraji finished fourth in her heat, clocking a time of 13.17 seconds at the Stade de France.
Repechage Round Performance
Yarraji’s performance in the repechage round was not enough to secure a place in the semifinals. Only the top two finishers from each heat advanced, and Yarraji was unable to meet that requirement. South Africa’s Marione Fourie took the lead in Heat 1 with a time of 12.79 seconds, while Maayke Tjin-A-Lim from the Netherlands followed closely behind, finishing second with a season-best of 12.87 seconds.
This marked a challenging Olympic debut for the 24-year-old athlete, who holds the Indian national record for the 100m hurdles at 12.78 seconds. Yarraji had previously finished seventh in her initial heat on Wednesday, clocking 13.16 seconds, which placed her 35th overall among 40 competitors.
A Historic Olympic Debut
Jyothi Yarraji made history as the first Indian woman to compete in the 100m hurdles at the Olympics. Her journey to Paris was marked by determination and resilience, having qualified based on her world ranking. Despite her potential, Yarraji was unable to replicate her national record performance during the qualification rounds in Paris.
Having matched her personal best earlier this year at the Motonet GP in Jyvaskyla, Finland, Yarraji’s Olympic campaign ended in disappointment as she could not clock a sub-13-second time in either of her races. This was particularly disheartening given her strong form leading up to the Games.
Yarraji’s exit from the competition adds to the challenges faced by Indian track and field athletes at the Paris 2024 Summer Games. So far, the Indian contingent has returned empty-handed, with only Neeraj Chopra and Avinash Sable competing in events that have garnered attention. Sable finished 11th in the men’s 3000m steeplechase final, clocking 8:14.18, while the event was won by Morocco’s Soufiane El Bakkali in a season-best time of 8:06.05.
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