India celebrated a significant milestone at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya on Tuesday, securing its first athletics gold medal of the tournament. The women's 4x400m relay quartet, consisting of Kiran Pahal, Poovamma Machettira, Prachi, and Vithya Ramraj, delivered a commanding performance to finish at the top of the podium with a time of 3:29.69 minutes.
The victory marked a highlight for the Indian contingent, who outperformed teams from Bahrain and China to claim the top prize. This success in the relay event provided a major boost to India's track and field campaign, which saw several other athletes contribute to the medal tally throughout a busy day of competition in Japan.
Gulveer Singh and Relay Teams Add to Medal Haul
Gulveer Singh continued his remarkable form at the games, securing a bronze medal in the men's 5000m with a time of 13:32.75. This achievement completed a hat-trick of podium finishes for the athlete, who had previously claimed silver medals in both the 1500m and 10000m events. With this performance, Gulveer became the fourth Indian athlete, and only the second man, to secure three medals in track and field events during a single edition of the continental games, joining the ranks of Lavy Pinto, P.T. Usha, and K.M. Beenamol.
The day also saw success in the relay disciplines. The mixed 4x100m relay team, featuring Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Sneha Sathyanarayana, and Harita Bhadra, earned a bronze medal after clocking a season-best time of 41.06 seconds. Additionally, the men's 4x400m relay quartet of Dharamveer Choudhary, Manu Thekkinalil, Jay Kumar, and Vishal Thennarasu secured a bronze medal with a time of 3:01.61, finishing behind Japan and Qatar.
Further Performances in Field and Track Events
In the women's high jump, Pooja Singh cleared 1.84 metres to secure a bronze medal. Meanwhile, Dev Kumar Meena set a new national record in the men's pole vault with a clearance of 5.50 metres, though the effort placed him seventh overall. In other events, Tanya Chaudhary and Anushka Yadav finished fourth and fifth respectively in the women's hammer throw, while Pooja Olla and Mohammed Afsal placed seventh and eighth in their respective 800m finals.
