Background
Abinaya grew up in Kalluthu village in Tenkasi district, Tamil Nadu. Her introduction to athletics came during a school zonal meet when she was in Class 6. She chose the 100m because it was the shortest race and, as she later recalled, she wanted to miss a mathematics class. She ran barefoot in her school uniform and won.
Sharing the U18 National Record with Dutee Chand
One of the defining moments in Abinaya's early career came in December 2024, when she clocked 11.62 seconds in the women's U18 100m at the National Junior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar. The time equalled the Indian U18 national record held by Dutee Chand, who had run 11.62 seconds in 2013.
Asian Athletics Championships 2025
Abinaya won silver with India's women's 4x100m relay team at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, in May 2025. The Indian quartet clocked 43.86 seconds to finish second behind China, which won in 43.28 seconds.
Junior Career: Asian U18 and U20 Championships
Abinaya's international career began to take shape through the Asian age-group championships. At the 2023 Asian U18 Athletics Championships in Tashkent, she won silver in the girls' 100m. The medal established her as a promising young sprinter on the continental circuit.
Current Season
The 2026 season brought a major breakthrough after an injury interrupted Abinaya's training. At a World Athletics Continental Tour Silver meet in Bhubaneswar on 22 August, she won the women's 100m in 11.34 seconds, setting a new U20 national record. The mark bettered the previous record of 11.53 seconds.
In their own words
"It was a surreal feeling going stride-for-stride with someone like Shanti Pereira. But once I got the baton, all I focused on was staying relaxed."
