India strike gold: Women’s 4x400m relay team wins Asian Games 2026 final
PTC Web Desk: India ended its wait for an athletics gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 after the women’s 4x400m relay team produced a strong performance in Aichi-Nagoya on Tuesday.
Vithya Ramraj, Kiran Pahal, Machettira Poovamma and Prachi combined to finish the race in 3:29.69 and take the gold medal. Bahrain finished second in 3:30.21, while China took bronze with a time of 3:31.02.
The Indian quartet stayed in the fight throughout the race and held its composure when the pressure increased towards the finish. The team eventually pulled ahead of its closest rivals to give India its first athletics gold of the Games.
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Vithya Ramraj wins her third medal
The victory made the evening even more special for Vithya Ramraj, who completed a three-medal haul at the 2026 Asian Games.
Vithya had earlier helped India secure silver in the mixed 4x400m relay. She then won bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles with a time of 54.75 seconds, breaking PT Usha’s 42-year-old national record of 55.42 seconds.
She returned to action in the relay and played an important role as India secured the gold.
India add more athletics medals
India had already added several athletics medals on Tuesday before the women’s 4x400m relay final. Pooja won bronze in the women’s high jump, while Gulveer Singh claimed bronze in the men’s 5000m. Gulveer finished the race in 13:32.75 and added another medal to his collection after winning silver in the 10,000m and 1500m events.
India also picked up a bronze medal in the mixed 4x100m relay.
There were some disappointing results as well. Avinash Sable did not take part in the men’s 5000m final after failing to win a medal in the 3000m steeplechase.
In the women’s hammer throw, Tanya Chaudhary finished fourth with a personal best of 63.35m, while Anushka Yadav placed fifth with a best throw of 64.56m.
Women’s relay team delivers big moment
Despite strong challenges from Bahrain and China, India maintained its rhythm across all four legs of the relay. The team crossed the line in 3:29.69 to secure a memorable gold.
Bahrain finished just 0.52 seconds behind India to take silver, with China completing the podium.
For Indian athletics, the victory ended a long wait for a gold medal at these Games. For Vithya, it completed a memorable three-medal campaign.
After collecting silver and bronze medals earlier in the competition, India finally had its athletics gold, courtesy of the women’s 4x400m relay team.
India's Day 11 wrap at Asian Games 2026
India have wrapped up Day 11 with 6 medals, including 2 golds . The country's overall tally now stands at 52 medals. India have climbed to 10th position in the medals table.
- PTC NEWS
