A late‑stage relay win gave India its first track gold in Nagoya, while shooters added to the tally as the Games head toward the finish line.
By Wednesday afternoon the Indian contingent had chalked up 56 medals at the Aichi‑Nagoya Asian Games – nine gold, 21 silver and 26 bronze – keeping the country inside the top ten of the standings. The surge came after a quiet opening, with track and field finally breaking its gold drought on the final day of the athletics programme.
The breakthrough came in the women’s 4x400m relay. A quartet of Kiran Pahal, Machettira Poovamma, Prachi and Vithya Ramraj crossed the line in 3:29.69, edging out Bahrain and China to claim the gold. The win also preserved India’s unbroken streak of at least one athletics gold at every Asian Games since 1998.
Vithya Ramraj emerged as the standout of the meet, adding a silver in the mixed 4x400m relay and a bronze in the women’s 400m hurdles. Her hurdle time of 54.75 seconds smashed the national record, underscoring her rapid rise on the continental stage.
Distance runner Gulveer Singh also left a strong imprint, returning with a trio of medals – silver in both the 10,000m and 1,500m, plus a bronze in the 5,000m where he posted 13:32.75. Their performances highlighted India’s depth in middle‑ and long‑distance events, even if the gold count fell short of expectations.
Silver medals came from a spread of field events: Tajinderpal Singh Toor in shot put, Murali Sreeshankar in long jump, Sarvesh Kushare in high jump and Sawan Barwal in the marathon. In the javelin, Yashvir Singh stepped up in Neeraj Chopra’s absence, throwing a personal best of 85.72m to secure silver, while teammate Rohit Yadav added bronze with 84.35m.
Relay squads added further colour to the tally. Apart from the women’s 4x400m triumph, India earned bronze in the men’s 4x400m and mixed 4x100m relays, and a silver in the mixed 4x400m. Pooja Singh’s bronze in the women’s high jump on the final day rounded off the athletics contribution.
Outside the track, shooting continued to be a gold‑magnet. Neeru Dhanda clinched the women’s trap title, then paired with Kynan Chenai to win the mixed trap team event, delivering another gold for the nation.
The picture is one of breadth but a dip in top‑step conversions. India’s athletics haul of 24 medals is impressive, yet the gold tally dropped from six in Hangzhou to a solitary win in Nagoya. Injuries also hampered a few hopefuls, with steeplechaser Avinash Sable finishing fourth and others like Praveen Chithravel missing out.
With several disciplines still underway, the final medal count remains open. The nation will be watching the remaining swimming, gymnastics and team sports to see if the current momentum can push the gold tally higher before the Games close next week.
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