
Aichi-Nagoya [Japan], September 29 (ANI): India’s men’s 4x400m relay team clinched bronze medal at the Asian Games 2026 after producing a strong performance in the final on Tuesday.
The Indian quartet of Dharmveer Choudhary, Manu Thekkinalil, Jay Kumar and Vishal Thennarasu clocked 3:01.61 to finish third in a closely contested race, where less than a second separated the top three teams.
Japan won the gold medal with a time of 3:00.75, while Qatar secured the silver medal after clocking 3:00.93. India, who entered the final as the fastest qualifiers, delivered a strong run to secure a podium finish.
The bronze medal added another achievement to India’s athletics campaign at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, following the women’s 4x400m relay team’s gold medal-winning performance earlier on the day.
The Indian quartet of Kiran, Machettira Poovamma, Prachi and Vithya Ramraj clocked 3:29.69 to finish on top of the podium, with Bahrain securing the silver medal after finishing the race in 3:30.21. China won bronze with 3:31.02. Vithya Ramraj, who had earlier won bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles, added another medal to her Aichi-Nagoya campaign with a gold-winning performance in the relay event.
The Indian women’s 4x400m relay team’s gold medal marked India’s second gold of the day. Earlier, Neeru Dhanda scripted history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual medal in the women’s trap event at the Asian Games, clinching gold in the final.
Neeru scored 28/30 to claim the top spot, defeating China’s Sun Yunong, who secured silver with 26/30, while UAE’s Hajar Abdulmalik won bronze with 21/25. Her triumph also handed India its second gold medal in shooting at the 2026 Asian Games. (ANI)


