India wins women’s 4x400m relay gold at Asian Games

India’s women’s 4x400-meter relay team won gold at the 2026 Asian Games on Tuesday, September 29, giving the country its first athletics gold of the Games. Kiran Pahal, Poovamma Machettira, Prachi and Vithya Ramraj finished in 3:29.69, ahead of Bahrain, which took silver in 3:30.21, and China, which won bronze in 3:31.02. The result marked a breakthrough for India’s athletics team after it had collected silver and bronze medals at the Games without winning gold. The relay quartet’s victory delivered the event’s top prize and was one of the closing results in India’s athletics campaign. Race accounts said Pahal ran the opening leg and handed over in third place. Poovamma moved India into the lead on the second leg, and Prachi kept the team in front before passing the baton to Ramraj. Running the anchor leg, Ramraj held off a late challenge from Bahrain’s Salwa Eid Nasr to secure the win. The gold was Ramraj’s third medal of the Games, according to reports. She had previously won silver in the mixed 4x400-meter relay and bronze in the women’s 400-meter hurdles. Prachi had also taken bronze in the individual 400 meters.