Published: September 24, 2026 at 9:45 pm
It turned out to be a good opening day for India who bagged two medals in their track and field campaign at the Asian Games 2026 on Thursday. The Indians won a silver in the mixed 4x400m relay while Seema Kumari clinched bronze in the women’s 10000m.
Thursday marked the opening day of track and field events at Aichi-Nagoya 2026 and the second day of the overall athletics programme following the race walk competitions.
India’s Machettira Poovamma, Vishal Thennarasu, Vithya Ramraj and Thekkinalil Manu clocked 3:14.46 to secure the silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay final. Their time was just 0.34 seconds shy of the Indian national record of 3:14.12, set by Muhammed Ajmal, Jyothika Sri Dandi, Amoj Jacob and Subha Venkatesan at the 2024 Asian Relay Championships in Bangkok.
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The gold was taken by Bahrain in an Asian Games record 3:12.87 while Vietnam claimed bronze in 3:14.54.
India’s Machettira Poovamma, Vishal Thennarasu, Vithya Ramraj and Thekkinalil Manu clocked 3:14.46 to secure the silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay final. Pics: AFI
India qualified for the final earlier in the day after Thekkinalil Manu, Machettira Poovamma combined with Jay Kumar and Kiran Pahal to clock 3:16.23 to finish second in their heat. Jay and Kiran were replaced in the final with Vishal and Vithya.
Their effort was the fourth-fastest across the heats, behind Bahrain (3:15.73), the People’s Republic of China (3:15.97) and Vietnam (3:16.08).
The silver continued India’s medal-winning run in the mixed 4x400m relay at the continental meet. India won gold at Jakarta 2018 and followed it with silver at Hangzhou 2023.
Seema secures third place
Earlier in the day, Seema Kumari clocked 32:50.05 to claim the bronze medal in the women’s 10000m. The national record in the women’s 10000m stands at 31:50.47, set by Preeja Sreedharan while winning the gold medal at the 2010 Asian Games, according to Olympics.com.
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Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi won gold in 32:39.18 while Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka secured silver in 32:41.54. The 25-year-old Indian athlete stayed with the leading group for much of the race before securing third place in the closing stages.
The result ended India’s 16-year wait for an Asian Games medal in the women’s 10000m. Preeja Sreedharan and Kavita Raut were the last Indian women to make the podium in the event, winning gold and silver, respectively, at Guangzhou 2010.
Seema Kumari stayed with the leading group for much of the race before securing third place in the closing stages. Pics: X
Meanwhile, Asha Ilango came agonisingly close to adding a medal for India in the women’s triple jump. Ilango registered a best effort of 13.83m, identical to the bronze medal mark of China’s Li Yi.
However, Li Yi took third place on countback courtesy of a superior second-best jump of 13.79m, compared to Ilango’s 13.65m.
Ilango consequently finished fourth while fellow Indian Niharika Vashisht was 10th with a best effort of 13.00m.
In the men’s 100m, Animesh Kujur and Gurindervir Singh progressed to the semifinals. Kujur finished third in his heat after clocking 10.36s, while Gurindervir Singh took second place in his heat in 10.38s. Both secured automatic qualification for the semifinals.
Thailand’s Puripol Boonson won Kujur’s heat in 9.95s while Oman’s Malham Al Balushi topped Gurindervir Singh’s heat in 10.29s.
India’s Pooja Sharma and Anamika Kozhinjaparambil Aneesh, meanwhile, completed the opening four events of the women’s heptathlon.
Pooja was eighth overall with 2385 points after the 100m hurdles, high jump, shot put and 200m. Anamika Kozhinjaparambil Aneesh was ninth with 2376 points.
