Photo credit: IANS
Nagoya, September 24 (IANS) India secured the silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay at the 2026 Asian Games, clocking 3:14.46 to finish second behind Bahrain in a closely fought final at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium here on Thursday.
The Indian quartet of Machettira Poovamma, Vishal Thennarasu, Ramraj Vithya and Thekkinalil Manu produced a strong performance to finish ahead of Vietnam, who narrowly missed out on silver after clocking 3:14.54.
Bahrain won the gold medal in a games-record time of 3:12.87, while Japan finished fourth in 3:15.52.
India’s 0.08-second advantage over Vietnam at the start proved decisive as the quartet held its nerve in a thrilling battle for the podium.
The result continued India’s impressive record in the mixed 4x400m relay at the Asian Games. After winning gold at Jakarta 2018 and silver at Hangzhou 2023, India have now collected a medal in the event at three successive editions.
For Vishal T.K., the medal adds to a breakthrough period in his career. The Tamil Nadu sprinter became the first Indian athlete to break the 45-second barrier in the men’s 400m when he clocked 44.98 seconds at the 2026 National Federation Senior Athletics Championships in Ranchi, setting a new national record.
Vishal had earlier won gold in the mixed 4x400m relay and silver in the men’s 4x400m relay at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, where he also finished fourth in the individual 400m.
Vithya, another key member of India’s relay programme, has represented the country at the Olympic Games, including in the 4x400m relay at Paris 2024. She won silver in the mixed 4x400m relay at the 2022 Asian Games and bronze in the 400m hurdles at the 2023 Asian Games.
M.R. Poovamma brought considerable experience to the quartet. The Arjuna Award recipient has been a prominent member of India’s relay teams for more than a decade and won Asian Games gold in the women’s 4x400m relay at Incheon 2014 and Jakarta 2018. She was also part of India’s gold-medal-winning mixed 4x400m relay team at Jakarta 2018.
Manu Saji, an emerging quarter-miler, also has international success in the mixed relay, having won gold in the event at the 2022 Asian U20 Athletics Championships.
