The Indian quartet delivered a thrilling performance to clinch the bronze medal in the men’s 4x400m relay final at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Clocking a season-best timing of 3:01.61, the Indian squad capped off another memorable day for the nation’s athletics contingent on the track.
While India missed out on defending the gold medal won at the previous edition in Hangzhou, the quartet’s resilience ensured India maintained its historic presence on the Asian Games relay podium.
The Race Breakdown: Anchor Leg Heroics
India lined up in Lane 5 with a balanced strategy designed to maintain steady pace and field position.
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First Leg (Dharmveer Choudhary): Started strong out of the blocks, executing a clean pass to keep India within striking distance of the frontrunners.
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Second Leg (Manu TS): Delivered a tactical run across the back straight, ensuring India maintained a competitive stance against a fast-charging field.
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Third Leg (Jay Kumar): Maintained pace into the second handover, setting up the final leg in a high-stakes fight for the medal spots.
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Anchor Leg (Vishal TK): Receiving the baton in fourth place behind Japan, Qatar, and Thailand, national record holder Vishal TK mounted a fierce comeback. Turning into the home stretch, Vishal overtook Japan's trailing pack and held off a late charge from Thailand's Joshua Atkinson to lock down third place.
Final Podium Standings
Host nation Japan took the gold medal with a time of 3:00.75, dethroning India in front of a home crowd. Qatar grabbed the silver medal, finishing narrowly behind in 3:00.93.
A Stellar Night for Indian Track & Field
The bronze in the men’s 4x400m relay capped off an extraordinary evening for India’s relay runners in Nagoya:
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Women's 4x400m Relay: The women’s team (Kiran, Machettira Poovamma, Prachi, and Vithya Ramraj) struck Gold with a dominant run.
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Mixed 4x100m Relay: India added another Bronze earlier in the program, setting a season-best time of 41.06s.
The men's 4x400m relay medal represents India’s 12th overall medal in this event in Asian Games history, reinforcing the nation's reputation as a perennial power in continental relay racing.
