India enjoyed a memorable outing in the 4x400m relay events at the Asian Games 2026 as the women's team clinched gold while the men's quartet settled for bronze. The contrasting results saw India add another athletics gold to its medal tally, taking the country's gold count to six at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
The women's team of Kiran Pahal, Poovamma Raju, Prachi Choudhary and Vithya Ramraj produced a sensational performance to finish on top, with Vithya delivering a brilliant final leg to hold off a late challenge from Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser.
Vithya Delivers Under Pressure
India did not have the ideal start to the women's final, with Kiran handing over the baton in third place. Veteran Poovamma then produced a strong second leg to move India into the leading positions, before Prachi kept the team firmly in contention.
Vithya received the baton in a strong position and immediately pushed forward. Behind her, Bahrain's Salwa Eid Naser, who had already won the individual 400m gold, launched a late charge.
Naser managed to chase down the runners ahead of her but could not catch Vithya, who held her nerve through the final stretch to bring India home in first place.
The victory came just a day after Vithya had broken PT Usha's long-standing national record in the women's 400m hurdles. She had also won bronze in the individual 400m, making the relay gold her third medal of the Games.
Men Settle For Bronze
The Indian men's 4x400m relay team, meanwhile, had to settle for bronze after finishing behind Japan and Qatar.
There were strong runs from Manu T and Vishal TK on the second and fourth legs, but India could not close the gap on the leading teams.
Japan eventually secured the gold medal, with Qatar taking silver, while India completed the podium with bronze.
The result will be a disappointment for the defending champions, who had hoped to replicate the women's success and complete a gold-medal double in the 4x400m relay events.
Instead, India ended the men's race with a bronze, although the medal still added to the country's athletics haul at the Games.
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India’s Gold Tally Reaches Six
The women's victory ensured that India reached six gold medals at the 2026 Asian Games.
The contrasting relay results also highlighted the fine margins in elite athletics. While the women's quartet held off a determined Bahrain challenge to reclaim the top spot, the men's team could not overcome Japan and Qatar despite strong individual efforts.
For Vithya, however, the evening belonged entirely to her. After rewriting a national record just a day earlier, she produced the decisive run to restore India's place at the top of the women's 4x400m relay podium.