Abinaya Rajarajan with her father Rajarajan after winning the women's 100 metres title at the World Athletics Continental Tour Silver event. (Credit: Express Photo)Once she crossed the finish line in the women’s 100 metres, 19-year-old Abinaya Rajarajan turned around and did an imitation of Cristiano Ronaldo’s “Siuuu” celebration. She’s a fan of the Portuguese star, but the celebration was also for her time, 11.34 seconds, a new Under-20 national record that won her gold and made her the fastest woman on the track, and told her she was finally back after an unfortunate knee injury at the Asian Indoor Championships in Tianjin, China, in February.She blames the injury on failing to decelerate in the 60 metres in February, which sent her slamming into the crash pads. The angle of impact caused an ACL, meniscus and patella injury, and three months on the sidelines followed. While she was out, Nipam broke her national record by a razor-thin margin, running 11.53 seconds to better Abinaya’s 11.54. A fierce competitor, Abinaya had been waiting for a big occasion to stamp her class again. A World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet, a fervent home crowd, and the Asian Games around the corner gave her exactly that reason.“I was about to cry at the end of the race, because I knew I was going to break the national record (U20). I expected a time of 11.40 seconds but 11.34 is crazy. I want to thank my coach, my physio and my dad, who is my hero, for supporting me when I was down,” Abinaya said.The injury put paid to her plans of qualifying for the individual 100 metres at the Asian Games. She made it into the six-member relay squad instead, but to secure her place in the relay quartet, she needed a performance to stamp her class.“After coming back from injury I am happy that I ran a good time. The crowd really got me going. When I was injured at the Asian Indoors, I had to be taken out on a stretcher. I got injured in the heats but I tried to get ready to run the final after taking painkillers. Till the last 10 minutes, I was telling myself not to give up, but then I realised I could not walk,” Abinaya said.On her return, Abinaya competed in three events, and it was only in the last of them, the Indian Athletics Series 10 in Thiruvananthapuram, that she found real form, running 11.84 seconds.“I had a crazy hunger to win here. Before the race, I was visualising how I would break the national record, how I would celebrate by doing the Ronaldo Siuuu. I decided that if I win gold I would celebrate like Ronaldo. It is a relief for me to win today. From the time I had the injury till this point it was challenging for me. There is still a bruise on my knee but now I don’t have any pain. I am feeling bad that I didn’t make it to the individual event in the Asian Games but that is how it is,” Abinaya said.Story continues below this adSaturday’s win has boosted her confidence. She believes it’s only a matter of time before she breaks Dutee Chand’s national record of 11.17 seconds. “I am just 19, I hope to break the national record and I will run below 11 seconds. I will make the country proud,” she said.Also Read | Equalling Dutee Chand’s record wasn’t the target, breaking it was: Abinaya Rajarajan after matching national U-18 100m markWatching from the stands was her father, Rajarajan, a small-time businessman who supplies drilling equipment to quarry workers. Immediately after winning, Abinaya called her father and coach Srinivasan Ramaiah over for a photograph. Her father gave her a peck on the cheek.“I just can’t believe how fast she ran today, given that she is making a comeback from injury. When I saw 11.34 on the screen, I was shocked but of course happy. When she was injured she was very low, but she has shown the ability to bounce back,” Rajarajan said.He first realised his daughter had a future in athletics when, as a six-year-old, she beat him in an impromptu running race. Wondering if it had been a fluke, he asked her to race again, and again. She kept winning. “That day I knew she had something special,” Rajarajan said.Story continues below this adWith a comeback win after a knee injury, and an Under-20 national record to go with it, Abinaya is a sprinter to watch.In the men’s javelin, Rohit Yadav produced a personal best of 87.68 metres to win gold, moving to fourth in the world this year by distance. His previous best, 87.05 metres, also came at the Kalinga Stadium, during the Indian Championships in June. At the Commonwealth Games, though, Rohit had finished seventh in the final with a throw of 81.56 metres, and he had hoped for a stronger showing at the Asian Games. “I wish I had produced such a throw at the Commonwealth Games. Post the CWG I was very upset. I know I have big throws in me, everything just needs to click on the big day,” Rohit said.Nihal Koshie is an Associate Editor and sports writer at The Indian Express. He is best known for his in-depth reporting and investigative work that often explores the intersection of sports and social issues. He is also a key member of the sports desk, which is based out of The Indian Express' office in Noida. Professional Background Role: Associate Editor (Sports) at The Indian Express. Key Achievements: He is a two-time winner of the prestigious Ramnath Goenka Award for Excellence in Journalism. He won the RNG award for 'Sports Journalism' for 2019 for his exclusive interview and follow up stories with sprinter Dutee Chand, who became the first Indian athlete to say she was in a same-sex relationship. He won his second RNG award in the 'Investigative Reporting' for 2023 for a series of exclusive stories related to sexual harassment charges levelled against WFI president Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh by the country's top women wrestlers. Expertise: While he covers major sports, he is particularly recognized for his extensive reporting on Athletics, investigative stories and long-form news features. Recent Notable Topics & Articles (Late 2025) Nihal Koshie’s recent work reflects a focus on investigative and human-interest stories Recent investigative pieces: He recently wrote a profile of an Indian teenager serving a jail sentence in Kenya after being embroiled in a doping scandal while chasing "Olympic dreams." Wrestling: He continues to track the political and social fallout of the Indian wrestling protests, including the recent public appearances of Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh and the political career of wrestler Vinesh Phogat. Recent long-form features: The story of the rise of Kranti Gaud, the young fast bowler who was a key member of the ICC women's World Cup-winning team; The physics and science behind modern cricket bats Podcast Presence He is a guest and contributor to the "Game Time" podcast by The Indian Express, where he provides technical and social analysis of current sporting events. Experience: 24+ years Previous experience: Times of India (2001-2005), Daily News and Analysis (2005 to 2010) Nihal joined The Indian Express in May, 2010 Social Media X ( formerly Twitter) : @nkoshie You can follow his latest work and full archive on his official author profile. ... Read More Tags:athletics