When Jyothi Yarraji saw ‘12.99 seconds’ flash across the giant screen after the women’s 100m hurdles final at the National Inter-State Championships at Kalinga Stadium, she crumpled onto the track.For the first time in over a year, the tears weren’t born of pain. They were of relief, joy and vindication. This was the finish she had dreamed of long before her world came crashing down.The unravelling of a seasonThe season prior had begun spectacularly for Jyothi. She swept the 100m hurdles and 200m at the National Games in February, followed by another hurdles gold at the Federation Cup. She defended her continental crown at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in May and added the Taiwan Athletics Open title to her cabinet soon after.All great signs of a great season to come, especially with major events right around the corner.Then, in a single training session in June, it all unravelled. An anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injury mercilessly cut her season short. A year later, she was back.It took 383 days for Jyothi to return to competitive athletics. In Bhubaneswar, she stormed to the national title, comfortably dipping under the Asian Games qualification mark. It looked like the perfect comeback.The timeline, however, was anything but. The blueprint set by her team mandated a gradual return through smaller competitions before the National Championships. This was while the window to secure a place at the Asiad was shrinking with each passing day. If this wasn’t jeopardy enough, Jyothi’s body decided to throw new curveballs. “She had a couple of setbacks; she sort of injured other areas, and that was very frustrating for her. That’s why she had to start her season at the Inter-State. What would’ve been nice is if we’d been able to have a couple of low-key competitions first. But that’s how it is sometimes,” her coach James Hillier tells The Hindu.It is never easy for a coach to watch their athlete buckle under the weight of uncertainty. Hillier, a man who prefers the comfort of control, was powerless through most of it.