Asiad 2026: India win women’s 4x400m gold, extend athletics gold run

The baton crossed the line and India’s athletics gold-medal run at the Asian Games remained intact. Kiran Pahal, Poovamma Machettira, Prachi and Vithya Ramaraj clocked 3:29.69 to win the women’s 4x400m relay gold at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 on Tuesday.

Bahrain finished second and China took bronze. The result meant India continued a run of winning at least one athletics gold at every Asian Games since 1998. Hiroshima 1994 remains the last edition in which India did not win an athletics gold.

The relay gold was also the latest addition to India’s record in an event that has produced several Asian Games medals over the years, including golds in 2002, 2010 and 2014.

Women’s relay gold extends India’s athletics gold run

India entered the 2026 Games having won at least one athletics gold at every edition since Bangkok 1998. At Hiroshima 1994, the country won one silver and two bronze medals but did not finish atop the athletics podium.

The women’s 4x400m relay has been among India’s successful events at the continental Games. India won gold in the event at Busan 2002, Guangzhou 2010 and Incheon 2014.

Gulveer joins select group with three athletics medals

Gulveer Singh added a bronze in the men’s 5000m with a time of 13:32.75, taking his medal tally at the 2026 Asian Games to three.

The 27-year-old had earlier won silver in the 1500m and 10,000m. His three-medal haul puts him alongside Lavy Pinto, PT Usha and KM Beenamol, who had previously won at least three athletics medals at a single Asian Games.

Pinto won three medals at New Delhi 1951, Usha collected four at Seoul 1986 and Beenamol won three at Busan 2002.

India’s mixed relay quartet adds another bronze

Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Sneha Sathyanarayana and Harita Bhadra won bronze in the 4x100m mixed relay, clocking a season-best 41.06 seconds.

China won gold in 40.78 seconds and Thailand took silver in 40.87 seconds. India had qualified for the final after finishing second behind China in the heats.

Pooja Singh clears 1.84m for high jump bronze

Pooja Singh cleared 1.84m to win bronze in the women’s high jump. The mark was below her personal best but secured India another athletics medal.

In the men’s pole vault, Dev Kumar Meena finished seventh despite setting a national record of 5.50m.

Pooja Olla finished seventh in the women’s 800m, while Mohammed Afsal placed eighth in the men’s 800m.

Defending champions finish third in men’s relay

India added another bronze in the men’s 4x400m relay, with Japan winning gold and Qatar taking silver.

India, the defending champions, finished third after strong runs from Manu T and Vishal TK. The result denied the country a gold-medal double in the men’s and women’s 4x400m relay events at Aichi-Nagoya.