India clinched the silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay at the 2026 Asian Games after producing a strong performance in a tightly contested final at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on Thursday.
The Indian quartet of M.R. Poovamma, Vishal T.K., Vithya Ramraj and Manu T.S. clocked 3:14.46 to finish second behind Bahrain. Vietnam came agonisingly close to taking silver, finishing just 0.08 seconds behind India with a time of 3:14.54.
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Bahrain claimed the gold medal in a Games-record time of 3:12.87, while hosts Japan finished fourth in 3:15.52.
India’s narrow advantage over Vietnam proved crucial in the closing stages as the quartet held its position to secure another medal in the mixed 4x400m relay at the Asian Games.
The silver also extended India’s remarkable record in the event. India won gold at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta before taking silver at the 2023 edition in Hangzhou. With another silver in Nagoya, the country has now won medals in the mixed 4x400m relay at three consecutive Asian Games.
Vishal T.K. was one of the key members of the Indian quartet. The Tamil Nadu sprinter has enjoyed a breakthrough year after becoming the first Indian athlete to run the men’s 400m in under 45 seconds. He clocked 44.98 seconds at the 2026 National Federation Senior Athletics Championships in Ranchi, setting a new national record.
Vishal had also been part of India’s successful mixed relay campaign at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea. He won gold in the mixed 4x400m relay and silver in the men’s 4x400m relay, besides finishing fourth in the individual 400m.
Vithya Ramraj brought further international experience to the team. She represented India at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games in the 4x400m relay and has also enjoyed success at the Asian Games. She won silver in the mixed 4x400m relay at the 2022 Asian Games and added a bronze in the 400m hurdles at the 2023 edition.
Veteran M.R. Poovamma also played an important role in the relay. The Arjuna Award winner has been a key figure in Indian athletics for more than a decade. She won gold in the women’s 4x400m relay at the 2014 and 2018 Asian Games and was also part of India’s gold-medal-winning mixed 4x400m relay team at Jakarta in 2018.
Manu T.S., meanwhile, continues to establish himself on the international stage. The emerging quarter-miler previously won gold in the mixed 4x400m relay at the 2022 Asian U20 Athletics Championships.
With the silver in Nagoya, India’s mixed relay team once again demonstrated its consistency at the Asian Games, while the razor-thin margin over Vietnam added further drama to an already closely fought final.
