India Strike Asian Games Gold as Women’s 4x400m Relay Ends Athletics Wait in Nagoya
NAGOYA: India secured its first athletics gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 on Tuesday as Kiran Pahal, Machettira Poovamma, Prachi Choudhary and Vithya Ramraj won the women’s 4x400m relay final in Nagoya, Japan. The quartet clocked 3:29.69 to finish ahead of Bahrain and China.
The victory delivered India’s India women’s relay gold on the 11th day of competition and pushed the country’s overall medal tally beyond 50. Bahrain finished second in 3:30.21, while China took bronze in 3:31.02.
India Women’s Relay Gold Delivers Athletics Breakthrough
The result was especially significant because India had been waiting for its first athletics gold of the Games. The country had already collected several track-and-field medals in Nagoya, but the top step of the podium had remained out of reach until the women’s relay final.
The 4x400m relay India team maintained its position in a closely contested race before producing a strong finish. Vithya Ramraj ran the anchor leg, bringing the quartet home in 3:29.69 and securing the gold medal.
The result also adds another major achievement to Ramraj’s campaign in Nagoya. She had already won bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles after setting a new Indian national record of 54.75 seconds.
Asian Games 2026 Medal Tally Moves Past 50
The relay triumph came during a highly productive day for Indian athletics. Gulveer Singh won bronze in the men’s 5,000m, while Pooja Singh took bronze in the women’s high jump. India also earned a bronze in the mixed 4x100m relay.
India entered the Games as defending champions in several sports, including cricket, with both men’s and women’s teams carrying title ambitions. Earlier coverage of the Asian Games 2026 cricket campaign had highlighted the country’s broader medal expectations in Aichi-Nagoya.
The Asian Games 2026 athletics programme has now produced a landmark result for India, with the women’s relay providing the country’s first track-and-field gold of the edition.
Relay Quartet Holds Off Bahrain And China
Bahrain remained India’s closest challenger in the final, finishing just 0.52 seconds behind. China crossed the line in 3:31.02 to take third place.
For the 4x400m relay India quartet, the result capped a strong showing across the Games. Poovamma had also been part of India’s silver-winning mixed 4x400m relay team earlier in the competition, alongside Vithya Ramraj, Manu TS and Vishal TK.
The India women’s relay gold therefore adds a second relay medal to India’s campaign and gives the athletics contingent its biggest result of the Games so far.
With the Asian Games 2026 competition continuing, India’s gold-medal count has now reached six, while the women’s 4x400m victory stands as the country’s first athletics gold in Nagoya.
