- The silver medal came just 20 minutes after India had secured another athletics medal.
- Bahrain crossed the finish line in 3:12.87.
- India did not have the best of starts in the mixed 4x400m relay
Asian Games 2026: India added another athletics medal to its tally on Thursday as the Indian team clinched the silver medal in the 4x400m mixed relay at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
India clocked 3:14.46 to finish second, while Bahrain claimed gold with a Games record of 3:12.87. Vietnam took the bronze medal after finishing in 3:14.54.
The silver medal came just 20 minutes after India had secured another athletics medal, giving the Indian contingent a strong finish to the session.
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India Fight Back For Silver
India did not have the best of starts in the mixed 4x400m relay. Vishal Thennarasu ran the opening leg for India but could not establish an early lead as the Indian team found itself behind the frontrunners.
M.R. Poovamma took over for the second leg and initially struggled to keep pace with the leading teams. India appeared to be slipping out of medal contention before Poovamma produced a remarkable burst during the final 50 metres of her leg.
Her late acceleration helped India move back into contention and allowed Manu to receive the baton in third position.
Manu maintained India's momentum during the third leg and ensured that the team remained firmly in the medal race before handing the baton to Vithya Ramaraj for the final leg.
Vithya Ramaraj Delivers Stunning Final Leg
With the medal positions still up for grabs, Vithya Ramaraj produced a superb final leg.
The Indian athlete maintained her composure under pressure and powered past the finish line to secure second place for India.
Bahrain, however, proved too strong on the final stretch. Salwa Eid Naser, one of the biggest names in world athletics, produced a powerful anchor leg to take Bahrain to gold.
Bahrain crossed the finish line in 3:12.87, setting a new Asian Games record.
India clocked 3:14.46 to take the silver, while Vietnam finished just behind in 3:14.54 to claim bronze.
India Add Two Athletics Medals In 20 Minutes
The mixed 4x400m relay silver added to what was already a memorable athletics session for the Indian contingent.
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India secured two athletics medals within a span of just 20 minutes, underlining the strong performances from the country's track and field athletes at the Asian Games 2026.
The relay team's fightback was particularly impressive after India found itself on the back foot during the early stages of the race. Vishal Thennarasu and Vithya Ramaraj played key roles in India's push for the silver medal, while Poovamma's late burst kept the team in contention.
India eventually finished second behind Bahrain and added another silver to its medal tally at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.