Mumbai: Making it to this year’s Commonwealth Games is likely to be “a little bit tight” for Jyothi Yarraji, India’s top hurdler recovering from surgery after an anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) tear, according to her coach James Hillier.
The women’s 100m hurdles national record holder and Paris Olympian suffered an ACL tear on her right knee during training mid last year, and underwent surgery in July. The 26-year-old returned to track training last month at her base in Ulwe, Navi Mumbai.
Speaking in Ulwe, Hillier, her coach and Athletics Director at Reliance Foundation, said they are eyeing the Federation Cup in May for a possible competitive return and singled out the Asian Games, where Yarraji was a silver in the last edition, as the priority for this season. The trimmed CWG in Glasgow are from July 23 to August 2, with the Asian Games in Japan’s Aichi-Nagoya scheduled from September 19 to October 4.
“The Commonwealth Games is probably going to be a little bit tight,” said Hillier. “We’re looking at possibly the Fed Cup as a good option (for her return). Maybe one or two low-level meets before that. The Asian Games is really the big focus for her.”
Hillier said Yarraji could also compete in some 100m races this year. The hurdler has often dabbled in flat sprints as well, predominantly in the 200m, in which she came fifth at the 2025 Asian Championships as the 100m hurdles champion. Yarraji last ran the 100m in a competitive meet in 2024 in the Netherlands.
“She might run a few 100s this year, it’s something we have talked about. She feels like she can run a good 100 this year. So, that might be something we will be looking to do,” said Hillier.
Equalling her 100m hurdles national mark (12.78s) in 2024 but signing off with a below-par Olympics debut, Yarraji had a fairly positive 2025 before the injury hiatus. She won the Asian Championships in late May and another meet in Taiwan in early June. That was her last competitive outing.
“It’s looking quite good,” Hillier said of Yarraji’s end rehab stages. “I’m quite optimistic that, certainly by the end of the year, she’ll be back to her best. Maybe even go beyond that. She’s looking strong, and fast.
“It’s now just (about) getting some consistent training in, and building the base up again. We don’t want to rush it too much, but at the same time we want that sort of urgency.”
Injuries theme in Indian athletics
Yarraji is among a host of elite Indian athletes to have grappled with injury setbacks over the last couple of years. India’s top two long jumpers, Sreeshankar Murali and Jeswin Aldrin, have both been stalled by physical issues and accompanying drops after plenty of highs and promise. So has javelin thrower Kishore Jena and Tejas Shirse, the men’s 110m hurdles national record holder, to name a few.
Injuries at the top level are a recurring theme that Hillier, a former British athlete and British Athletics high performance coach for sprints and hurdles, does see more of “in India than what I experienced in the UK”.
He attributed multiple possible factors behind Indian athletes’ frequent body breakdowns: from Indian kids not growing up with a broad base of multi-sport background, to younger athletes following their coach’s training methods without question or knowledge, to athletes even at the higher level often pushing too hard – especially with heavy strength-based exercises for events that don’t necessarily require them to be done excessively.
“I see long jump coaches just constantly (making jumpers do) bounding and bounding,” said Hillier. “Long jump is sprints with a jump at the end of it. We don’t need to do all this. I believe Indian jumpers should be trained more like sprinters.”
The overall objective, Hillier reckoned, ought to be better quality training over quantity. And, to wipe out the “junk” work that leaves bodies drained.
“I’ve seen sprinters doing six-minute jogs, two-minute rest, then five-minute jogs. I’ve seen (sprinter) Dutee Chand doing 10K road runs,” Hillier said. “It’s totally non-specific. And one of the cornerstones of training in athletics is specificity.”
