India finally ended its wait for an athletics gold medal at the Asian Games 2026 as the women's 4x400m relay team produced a memorable performance in Aichi-Nagoya on Tuesday.
The quartet of Vithya Ramraj, Kiran Pahal, Machettira Poovamma and Prachi clocked 3:29.69 to finish on top of the podium. Bahrain won silver with a time of 3:30.21, while China took bronze in 3:31.02.
The victory gave India its first athletics gold medal of the ongoing Asian Games and capped a strong evening for the country's track and field contingent. The Indian men also won a medal in the 4x400m relay event as they came third.
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The men's 4x400 team of Vishal TK, Dharamveer Choudhary, Jay Kumar and T Manu won gold last time but had to settle for bronze in 2026. They clocked 3:01.61sec in the race.
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Vithya Ramraj Completes Three-Medal Haul
The gold medal also completed a memorable campaign for Vithya Ramraj, who won her third medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
Vithya had earlier helped India secure silver in the mixed 4x400m relay before winning bronze in the women's 400m hurdles. In the hurdles final, she clocked 54.75 seconds, breaking PT Usha's 42-year-old national record of 55.42 seconds.
She returned to the track on Tuesday and played a key role in India's gold-medal-winning 4x400m relay quartet.
For Vithya, the gold added the perfect finish to a campaign that had already delivered two medals.
India Add More Athletics Medals
India's athletics campaign on Tuesday had already produced several podium finishes before the women's 4x400m relay took centre stage.
Pooja won bronze in the women's high jump, while Gulveer Singh claimed bronze in the men's 5,000m. Gulveer clocked 13:32.75 to complete a hat-trick of medals at the Games after winning silver in the 10,000m and 1,500m events.
India also secured bronze in the mixed 4x100m relay, adding another medal to a packed evening of athletics action.
There were some disappointing results for India as well. Avinash Sable did not start the men's 5,000m final, the reason is still unknown, after missing out on a medal in the 3,000m steeplechase.
In the women's hammer throw, Tanya Chaudhary finished fourth with a personal best of 63.35m, while Anushka Yadav finished fifth with a best effort of 64.56m.
Women's 4x400m Relay Delivers Gold
The Indian quartet faced strong competition from Bahrain and China but maintained its composure across the four legs to finish in 3:29.69.
Bahrain crossed the line in 3:30.21 to take silver, while China finished third in 3:31.02.
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The result brought India's long-awaited athletics gold at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
For Vithya, it was the culmination of a three-medal campaign featuring a gold, silver and bronze. For Indian athletics, the women's 4x400m relay victory finally ended the wait for a gold medal at these Games.
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