After Seema Kumari's bronze in the women's 10,000m race, India added another athletics medal on Day 5 of the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya on Thursday.
India won the silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay, with Poovamma Raju, Vishal Thennarasu, Vithya Ramaraj and Manu TS clocking 3:14.46. The result also saw India successfully defend the silver medal won in the event at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.
Bahrain won the gold medal with a Games record time of 3:12.87, while India finished second with 3:14.46 and Vietnam finished just behind in 3:14.54 to claim bronze.
ALSO READ | Seema Kumari Wins Bronze In 10,000m, Gives India First Athletics Medal At Asian Games 2026
India Fight Back For Mixed 4x400m Relay Silver
India endured a slow start to the race, with Vishal Thennarasu beginning at a measured pace before Poovamma Raju took over.
Poovamma also started slowly, leaving India in danger of slipping out of medal contention. However, she produced a stunning burst in the final 50m to keep India in the race and hand the baton to Manu TS in third place.
Manu maintained the pace before handing over to Vithya Ramaraj for the final leg. The 28-year-old then produced a stunning anchor leg, powering India into second place and securing the silver medal.
Bahrain, however, proved too strong in the final stages. Salwa Eid Naser produced a powerful anchor leg to pull clear and help Bahrain clinch the gold medal.
Vithya Ramaraj Delivers Under Pressure
With the medal positions still undecided when she took the baton, Vithya Ramaraj held her nerve and produced a strong final stretch to move India from third to second.
Her effort ensured India finished ahead of Vietnam, which clocked 3:14.54 to take the bronze medal.
Bahrain's Naser, meanwhile, opened up a decisive gap on the final leg to secure the gold and set a Games record of 3:12.87.
India Add Two Athletics Medals In 20 Minutes
The mixed 4x400m relay silver came just minutes after Seema Kumari's bronze, making it a memorable athletics session for the Indian contingent at the Asian Games 2026.
ALSO READ | Asian Games 2026: Anant Jeet Singh Naruka, Parinaaz Dhaliwal Win Historic Mixed Skeet Bronze
India won two athletics medals within a span of just 20 minutes, adding to the country's medal tally and highlighting a strong showing from its track and field athletes in Nagoya.
The relay team's fightback was crucial to the silver-medal finish, with Poovamma's late surge keeping India in contention, Manu maintaining the momentum and Vithya producing the decisive final leg to move the team into second place.
Essential Business Intelligence, Sharp Market Insights, Practical Personal Finance Advice, Daily Fuel, Gold and Silver Prices and Latest Stories — On NDTV Profit.