Setback for India in World Championships: Jyothi Yarraji Misses 100m Hurdles Semifinals

India encountered a setback in the World Athletics Championships in Budapest, as Jyothi Yarraji, the national record holder in the 100m hurdles, fell short of qualifying for the semifinals. Despite high hopes, her performance in heat number four positioned her in seventh place, with a time of 13.05 seconds – a considerable distance from her national record of 12.78 seconds. This marked yet another letdown for India in the championships.

How about that 😵@Ken_AYE_ puts on a show in the heats of the 100m hurdles ⚡️
#WorldAthleticsChamps pic.twitter.com/hSWOqPq7PI

— World Athletics (@WorldAthletics) August 22, 2023

Yarraji, aged 23, finished 29th overall, unable to secure a place among the top contenders who advanced to the semifinals. The qualifying criterion included the first four finishers from each of the five heats and the four fastest athletes, amounting to a total of 24 qualifiers. The threshold for the last semifinals qualifier was set at 12.92 seconds.

Kendra Harrison, the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist from the USA, led the semifinal qualifiers with an impressive time of 12.24 seconds, holding the world’s season-leading record.

Krishan Kumar, participating in the men’s 800m, also faced disappointment as he concluded his heat in seventh place with a time of one minute and 50.36 seconds. Despite possessing a personal best time of 1:45.88, Kumar’s performance did not secure a spot in the semifinals. Similar to the women’s event, the men’s 800m semifinals required the top three finishers from each of the seven heats and the three fastest athletes, totaling 24 qualifiers.

Jyothi Yarraji, the reigning Asian champion, was anticipated to secure at least a semifinal spot. Regrettably, she failed to meet these expectations, marking her first World Championships with a less-than-desired outcome. Notably, Yarraji had earned distinction as the first Indian woman to win gold in the 100m hurdles at the Asian Championships the previous month.

The performance of Indian athletes in the world championships has been less than stellar thus far. On the opening day, national record holder Avinash Sable was disappointed by finishing seventh in his heat of the 3000m steeplechase event, failing to qualify for the final round.

In subsequent events, Indian athletes faced challenges, with three Indian participants in the men’s 20km race walk placing at the rear, and young athlete Shaili Singh missing the women’s long jump final. Despite personal best performances, athletes like Ajay Kumar Saroj in the men’s 1500m and participants in the men’s triple jump – Praveen Chithravel, Eldhose Paul, and Abdulla Aboobacker – couldn’t secure positions in the semifinals or finals.

As the championship progressed, disappointments continued, with Santhosh Kumar Tamilarasan and Sarvesh Anil Kushare being eliminated from the 400m hurdles and high jump qualification rounds, respectively.