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India secured its first athletics gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games after the women’s 4x400m relay team finished on top at the Aichi-Nagoya Games in Japan. The Indian quartet of Kiran Pahal, M.R. Poovamma, Prachi and Vithya Ramraj clocked 3:29.69 to win the final.
India’s First Athletics Gold in 2026
The Indian team produced a strong performance in the final to finish ahead of Bahrain and China. Bahrain won silver with a time of 3:30.21, while China took bronze in 3:31.02.
The victory marked India’s first gold in athletics at the 2026 Asian Games. India had already collected athletics medals in Nagoya, including silver in the mixed 4x400m relay and bronze in the women’s 10,000m.
For Poovamma, the gold also adds to an extensive Asian Games record. She was part of India’s women’s 4x400m relay gold-medal-winning teams in 2014 and 2018.
When Did India Last Win Athletics Gold at Asian Games?
India’s previous athletics gold medals came at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, which were held in 2023 after being postponed. The Athletics Federation of India recorded six athletics gold medals for India at those Games.
The gold medallists included Avinash Sable in the men’s 3,000m steeplechase, Tajinderpal Singh Toor in men’s shot put, Parul Chaudhary in women’s 5,000m, Annu Rani in women’s javelin, Neeraj Chopra in men’s javelin and the men’s 4x400m relay team.
Therefore, the 2026 women’s relay gold comes after India’s athletics gold-winning campaign in Hangzhou 2022, although it is the country’s first athletics gold of the current Aichi-Nagoya edition.
Women’s 4x400m Relay Gold Returns
The achievement is particularly significant because India had not won the women’s 4x400m relay at the 2022 Asian Games. The Indian team took silver in Hangzhou, finishing behind Bahrain.
India’s previous gold in this event came at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, where Hima Das, M.R. Poovamma, Saritaben Gayakwad and V.K. Vismaya won in 3:28.72. That victory extended India’s winning streak in the event to five consecutive Asian Games editions.
The 2026 victory therefore marks a return to the top of the women’s 4x400m relay podium after the silver-medal finish in Hangzhou. It also adds another chapter to India’s long-standing record in the event at the Asian Games.