Thiruvananthapuram, March 21 – Twenty-seven-year-old Tamil Nadu international quarter-miler Rajesh Ramesh asserted his dominance in the season opener competition in Thiruvananthapuram on Saturday.
In his way to winning gold in the men’s Race A at the 2026 Seventh Indian Open 400m Competition in Kerala, Ramesh posted a time of 45.26 seconds, which was better than his personal best of 45.54 seconds set in 2024.
After the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, Ramesh was sidelined due to persistent injuries, but he made a strong comeback in 2025, clocking 45.75 seconds, his best time for the season.
Manu TS, representing NCOE Trivandrum, finished second in Race A with a time of 45.96 seconds. Delhi’s international runner Amoj Jacob won Race C with a time of 45.99 seconds and finished overall third in the men’s group.
The men’s final race was divided into three groups—A, B, and C. The women’s final race was conducted in two categories—A and B.
Vithya Ramraj of Tamil Nadu won the women’s 400m race with a time of 53.31 seconds. Rashdeep Kaur, representing JSW, finished second with a time of 53.62 seconds. Both Vithya and Rashdeep finished first and second, respectively, in Group A.
Vijay Kumari GK of Karnataka won Race B with a time of 53.55 seconds and was declared overall third in the women’s 400m race.
Competitions were also organized in the U20 and U18 groups in both the men’s and women’s sections.
Results:
Men: Rajesh Ramesh (Tamil Nadu) 45.26 seconds, Manu TS (NCOE Trivandrum) 45.96 seconds, Amoj Jacob (Delhi) 45.99 seconds.
Men: U20: 400m: Piyush Raj (Bihar) 47.11 seconds, Sahil Malik (Uttarakhand) 47.28 seconds, Edvin Mathew (Kerala) 47.65 seconds.
Men: U18: 400m: Sayed Sabeer (Karnataka) 47.73 seconds, Thanish Vijay Gaddam (Maharashtra) 48.17 seconds, Hariharan R (NCOE Trivandrum) 48.31 seconds.
Women: 400m Vithya Ramraj (Tamil Nadu) 53.31 seconds, Rashdeep Kaur (JSW) 53.62 seconds, Vijay Kumari GK (Karnataka) 53.55 seconds.
Women: U20: 400m: Reshma (Uttar Pradesh) 54.84 seconds, Isha Rajesh Jadav (Maharashtra) 55.46 seconds, Dharani A (Tamil Nadu) 55.63 seconds.
Women: U18: Kashish Bhagat (Maharashtra) 56.46 seconds, Nethra M (Tamil Nadu) 59.54 seconds, Chaudhary Ashaben (Gujarat) 59.62 seconds.