India’s Women’s 4x400m Relay Team Strikes Gold at Asian Games 2026
Nagoya, September 29, 2026: India’s women’s 4x400m relay team won gold at the Asian Games 2026 on Tuesday, delivering the country’s first track-and-field title of the Aichi-Nagoya Games. The quartet of Kiran Pahal, Machettira Poovamma, Prachi and Vithya Ramraj clocked 3:29.69 at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium to finish ahead of Bahrain and China.
Bahrain took silver in 3:30.21, 0.52 seconds behind India. China secured bronze in 3:31.02. The Indian runners maintained their position through the early legs and pulled clear in the closing stages, with anchor Vithya Ramraj holding off a late challenge from Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Nasr.
The result ended India’s wait for an athletics gold at these Games and marked the team’s sixth gold in the event across the last seven Asian Games editions. India has won a medal in the women’s 4x400m relay at every Asian Games since the event was introduced in 1982, including five consecutive golds from 2002 to 2018 and silver at Hangzhou 2022 (held in 2023). The 2026 victory restored India to the top of the podium and extended a 44-year medal streak.
The gold was India’s sixth of the Games and the second of the day, following trap shooter Neeru Dhanda’s individual title. It lifted India’s overall tally past 50 medals. Reports placed the standings at six gold, 21 silver and 24 bronze after the relay.
Several members of the winning team had already contributed medals in Nagoya. Vithya Ramraj earlier won bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles, breaking P.T. Usha’s 42-year-old national record with a personal best of 54.75 seconds, and was part of the mixed 4x400m relay team that took silver. Prachi won bronze in the individual 400m. Poovamma, a veteran of the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games gold-medal teams, provided experience in baton exchanges and race management.
The 3:29.69 timing was a strong championship performance, though it did not surpass India’s national record of 3:26.89 set at the 2004 Athens Olympics. The victory highlighted the depth of India’s women’s 400m group and the team’s ability to execute under pressure, including reports of rain during the session.
The result provided a significant boost to India’s athletics campaign after a wait for gold on the track and field programme. The team’s composed running and clean exchanges converted individual form into a collective title on a productive day for the Indian contingent.
