In the end, it was left to the women, yet again, to spare Indian athletics’ blushes.
The threat of ending the Asian Games without a gold medal for the first time in 32 years was getting real with every passing day.
Also read | Asian Games 2026: Tough draws await Sujeet, Antim, Aman in wrestlingKiran Pahal set the tone to ensure the Indians would not be outrun right at the beginning.
The men’s quartermilers, defending champions in the 4x400m relay, clocked 3:01.61, Dharamveer Chaudhary, Manu T.S., Jaykumar and Vishal T.K.
Pooja Singh, the National record holder in high jump, led for a large part before finishing with a bronze (1.84m).
In the end, it was left to the women, yet again, to spare Indian athletics’ blushes.
For a week, the men and women on the track and on the field had come close, only to falter and stumble at the finish line. The threat of ending the Asian Games without a gold medal for the first time in 32 years was getting real with every passing day. Until four women stepped up in the penultimate event of the Aichi-Nagoya edition at the Paloma Mizuho Athletics Stadium on Tuesday (September 29, 2026) to regain the top spot that they have traditionally held in the 4x400m relay and had to cede last time around to Bahrain.
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Kiran Pahal set the tone to ensure the Indians would not be outrun right at the beginning. M.R. Poovamma, the seniormost in the side, silenced her critics and proved her longevity. Poovamma, who was part of the gold medal-winning quartet in the same discipline in 2014 and 2018, also showed that she deserved her spot with a blazing second leg.
It was Prachi Chaudhary, a member of the silver-winning team last time around, who started the fightback against the insane pace of Bahrain and China, climbing to second place. It was left to Vithya Ramraj, who set a new National record in 400m hurdles the other day and already had a silver in the 4x400m mixed relay, to finish it off and the 28-year-old duly obliged. She first overtook Zuo Siyu on the final bend and then held off the legendary Salwa Eid Naser as the Indians clocked 3:29.69s.
Until then, however, it looked like the final day of athletics competition would end the way it started for India — waiting in vain for the National anthem to play, not for want of effort, though. National record holder Gulveer Singh added a bronze in the 5,000m to his two silvers in 10,000m and 1500m to become the first Indian man to win three individual athletics medals in a single edition of the Asiad.
Gulveer timed 13:32.75, a far cry from his personal best but given the tough, testing conditions, constant downpour over the last few days coupled with his tight schedule here, it was creditable.
The men’s quartermilers, defending champions in the 4x400m relay, clocked 3:01.61, Dharamveer Chaudhary, Manu T.S., Jaykumar and Vishal T.K. bringing home bronze while Gurindervir, Sneha, Animesh Kujur and Harita Bhadra improved on their heat timing for a bronze with a season’s best of 41.06 in mixed 4x100m relay.
Pooja Singh, the National record holder in high jump, led for a large part before finishing with a bronze (1.84m). Pooja cleared every mark on the first attempt till she attempted 1.87. Pole vaulter Dev Meena finished seventh but managed to set a new National record of 5.50m while Tanya Chaudhary recorded a new personal best of 65.35m on the last attempt to finish fourth in hammer throw.
