Indian women won gold
nagoya Vithya Ramraj, continuing her excellent performance at the 'Asian Games 2026', played a key role in helping India win the gold medal in the women's 4x400m relay on Tuesday. The Indian team of Kiran Pahal, MR Poovamma, Prachi and Vithya finished first with a timing of 3:29.69 seconds.
Bahrain finished second with a timing of 3:30.21 seconds, just 0.52 seconds behind India, while China finished third with a timing of 3:31.02 seconds. Japan finished fourth with a timing of 3:31.44 seconds, followed by Vietnam, Kazakhstan, Sri Lanka and Chinese Taipei.
India started the relay from lane six, with Kiran given the responsibility of the first leg. Kiran passed the baton to third place, leaving Poovamma with the task of closing the gap. The experienced Poovamma performed brilliantly in the second leg and kept India in the race. The baton was then handed over to Prachi, who had already won an individual bronze medal in the 400m. Prachi kept India firmly in the medal race, leaving Vithya with the baton in good position for the anchor leg.
Vithya increased his pace in the last lap. However, she was challenged by Bahrain's Salwa Eid Nassar, but Vithya had already gained enough lead to face the challenge. He maintained his composure in the last part of the race and crossed the finish line first. This was Vithya's third medal in the Asian Games 2026. Earlier, he had won silver and bronze medals in other events. A day earlier, she had broken the decades-old national record in the women's 400 meters hurdles.
For Vithya, the gold medal in the relay was the perfect conclusion to her impressive three-medal journey. Her performance in the final added another memorable moment to a Games in which she had already established herself as one of India's finest track athletes.