Top 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji returns to old technique after a tweak, hopes to defend Asian gold

New Delhi, May 22 (PTI) India's Asian Games silver medallist 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji has abandoned a tweak in her running technique after suffering injuries and she is now hoping to defend her Asian Championships title with her old approach.

The 25-year-old Yarraji is part of the 59-member Indian team for the Asian Championships to be held in Gumi, South Korea from May 27 to 31. She won the 100m hurdles gold in the 2023 edition in Bangkok.

"I changed to seven stride (between hurdles) technique before the 2024 Olympics but I got injured twice. So, I and my coach (James Hillier) have decided to revert to my original eight stride approach," she told reporters before the team's departure here.

"Seven stride approach is to run with more power but it may lead to hitting the hurdles often. I have long legs and I got injured twice with the seven-step approach," the national record holder explained.

"With eight strides, you can have more frequency (of turning the legs) and speed. I am training with eight strides this season and I am hoping to achieve success in Korea," she added.

Yarraji had won gold in the last edition with a time of 13.09 seconds. Her national record stands at 12.78 seconds.

Interestingly, she had also won a silver in 200m in the 2023 edition, clocking 23.13 seconds.

"If I remained healthy and injury-free, I will be able to run sub-13 seconds more often and on a consistent basis. That is my aim. My endeavour is to understand the small mistakes and make amends," said Yarraji who is training in Mumbai at the Reliance Foundation.

She said China's 2023 Asian Games gold winner Lin Yuwei is also competing in Korea, which means Yarraji's title defence will not be easy.

Yuwei had clocked 12.74 seconds to win gold in Hangzhou while Yarraji ran 12.91 seconds for the silver.

Gulveer Singh, who has been on a national record-breaking spree in 5000m and 10,000m, said he is looking to qualify for the World Championships in the longer event. He is competing in both 5,000m and 10,000m in Korea.

"I am hoping to qualify for the World Championships in Korea, I have already achieved qualification in 5000m," Singh said.

He won a 5000m bronze in the 2023 Asian Championships in Bangkok. He had also won a 10,000m bronze in the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games.

Singh is hoping to compete in some events in Europe after the Asian Championships. He has been training at Colorado Springs in the US since 2023 under Scott Simmons. He said he has benefitted from the training in the US.

"Every time I run, I want to do my personal best. I have improved a lot while training with the Kenyans in US," he said.

"Last season, I did not take any break (even in off season). It was continuous practice and competition," he said when asked about the secret of his national record-breaking spree.

Singh made his Diamond League debut in Doha on May 16 and finished ninth in the men's 5000m race, clocking 13 minutes and 24.32 seconds. His national record stands at 12:59.77. PTI PDS AM PDS AM AM