Indian quarter-miler MR Poovamma, 36, secured her third Asian Games 4x400m relay gold, marking a triumphant return after a two-year doping ban. She expressed immense satisfaction in proving her critics wrong and credited her family and husband for their unwavering support during her challenging comeback journey.
India's women's 4x400m relay team, featuring Kiran Pahal, Prachi Choudhary, MR Poovamma, and Vithya Ramraj, secured a historic gold medal at the Asian Games 2026. The athletes received a grand welcome upon their return to Delhi, expressing immense pride and dedicating their victory to the nation and their supporters. Prachi and Vithya also earned individual bronze medals, and the team now aims for gold at the World Championships.
Vithya Ramraj, after breaking PT Usha's 400m hurdles record, anchored the Indian women's 4x400m relay team to a gold medal at the Asian Games in Nagoya. This marked her third medal of the Games, with strong performances from Kiran Pahal, M R Poovamma, and Prachi.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi extended his congratulations to Indian athletes who secured medals at the Asian Games. He specifically lauded Neeru Dhanda for her historic individual trap gold, the women's trap team for their silver, and the women's 4x400m relay squad for their gold-winning performance, highlighting their precision, speed, and teamwork.
India secured a silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay, successfully defending their previous win, and Seema Kumari earned a historic bronze in the women's 10,000m, marking India's first medal in the event in 16 years and only the third ever.
India's athletics campaign at the Asian Games started successfully with the mixed 4x400m relay team securing a silver medal, their third consecutive in the event. Additionally, Seema earned a surprise bronze in the women's 10,000m race, marking India's first medal in the event after many years. Other Indian athletes also showed promising performances in various heats.
India achieved significant milestones at the Asian Games, securing its first-ever women's trap gold through Neeru Dhanda and another gold in the women's 4x400m relay. These victories pushed India's medal tally past 50, placing the country in the top 10. The day also saw strong performances in boxing, volleyball, archery, squash, and tennis, contributing to a successful outing despite some disappointments in other events.
Indian athletes delivered a stellar performance at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, securing a gold medal in the women's 4x400m relay. The team's victory marked India's first track and field gold at the games. Additionally, India clinched several bronze medals in events like the 4x100m mixed relay, women's high jump, and men's 5000m, with Gulveer Singh achieving a remarkable hat-trick of podium finishes.
The 65th National Open Athletics Championships begins on Thursday in New Delhi, featuring hammer thrower Nirbhay Choudhary aiming to improve his national record and sprinter Manikanta Hoblidhar making a comeback from injury. Other prominent athletes like race walker Servin Sebastian, Olympians Paramjeet Singh Bisht and Suraj Panwar, and long-distance runner Abhishek Pal are also set to compete, alongside several Asian Games medallists.
India's athletics campaign at the Asian Games started strongly with the mixed 4x400m relay team securing a silver medal, their third consecutive Asian Games medal in the event. Additionally, Seema won a surprise bronze in the women's 10,000m race, marking India's first medal in athletics at the Games. Other Indian athletes also progressed to semifinals in various events.
The Karnataka government has significantly increased cash awards for Asian Games medallists, with gold winners now receiving Rs 1 crore. Additionally, all 20 participating athletes received a Rs 5 lakh incentive. The state also announced direct recruitment opportunities for Group-B posts and a 2% reservation in government jobs for accomplished sportspersons, alongside financial support for Olympic preparation under the 'Guri: Olympics' scheme.
President Droupadi Murmu extended her congratulations to Indian athletes who won medals on Day 9 of the Asian Games. She specifically lauded the women's 4x400m relay team for their historic gold, shooter Neeru Dhanda for India's first individual gold and a new Asian record, and other medalists in shooting, high jump, relays, distance running, and boxing, highlighting their achievements as a source of national pride and inspiration.
India secured a silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay and a historic bronze in the women's 10,000m at the Asian Games. The relay team successfully defended their previous medal, while Seema Kumari's bronze marks India's first medal in the event in 16 years, highlighting strong performances in athletics.
India's Asian Games campaign saw its medal tally rise to 17 with strong performances in athletics, wushu, kabaddi, and hockey, despite some disappointments in shooting, boxing, and gymnastics. The mixed 4x400m relay team secured silver, while Seema won bronze in 10,000m. Wushu player Roshibina Devi claimed silver, and rowers added a bronze. Kabaddi and men's hockey teams continued their unbeaten runs, advancing to later stages.
India finished fourth at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games with 85 medals, a significant dip from the previous edition's record haul. While traditional strongholds like shooting and athletics underperformed, breakthroughs in archery, wrestling, golf, boxing, hockey, and cricket showcased a broadening sporting base. The performance serves as a reality check on sustaining progress towards top global rankings and highlights areas for improvement in mental conditioning and preparation.
India's Asian Games campaign looked bleak in Nagoya. A slow medal start saw the country slip to around 12th, before a late surge took India back to fourth with 85 medals.
Tanya Chaudhary shattered the women's hammer throw national record with a distance of 68.35m at the Indian Athletics Series Final. Concurrently, Avinash Sable marked a triumphant return to the 3000m steeplechase, winning his first race in over a year. Both athletes are part of India's Asian Games contingent, with Sable also eyeing a 5000m entry. The event saw a lucrative prize fund, highlighting significant performances across various disciplines.
Tanya Chaudhary shattered the women's hammer throw national record with a 68.35m throw at the Indian Athletics Series Final, while Avinash Sable secured an emphatic win in the men's 3000m steeplechase in his first race in over a year. Both athletes, who are part of the Asian Games team, received Rs 1 lakh prize money from the lucrative event. Chaudhary expressed her long-standing pursuit of the record and her focus on technique, while Sable aims to compete in both 3000m steeplechase and 5000m at the Asian Games after recovering from an ACL surgery.
India's athletics contingent secured a gold medal in the women's 4x100m relay at the Asian Relays Championships in Shaoxing, China, clocking a season-best time.
India commenced its campaign at the Asian Relay Championships in Shaoxing, China, by securing two medals on the opening day. The mixed 4x100m team earned a bronze, while the mixed 4x400m team clinched a silver medal, showcasing a strong performance by Indian athletes.
A star-studded field, including national record holders, will compete at the Indian Athletics Series 3 in New Delhi, motivated by the new Mondo track at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Manisha Kumari created history as the first athlete from Himachal Pradesh's Hamirpur district to win gold in an international event when she triumphed in the women's 4x400m relay at the South Asian Athletics Championships.
Senior India quarter-miler and Asian games medallist MR Poovamma has been handed a three-month ban by the National Anti-Doping Agency for failing a dope test last year.
MR Poovamma was a member of the gold-winning 4x400m women's and mixed relay teams in the 2018 Asian Games and also part of the 4x400m relay squad that won the gold at the 2014 Asian Games.
Quarter-miler Machettira Raju Poovamma and heptathlete Liksy Joseph won a silver each as India added four medals on the second day of the 21st Asian Athletics Championships in Wuhan, China, on Thursday.
Expressing happiness at the recommendation for the coveted Arjuna Award, ace quartermiler M R Poovamma described it as a "dream come true".
'if my body is giving me company why should I stop the sport? Some foreign athletes run till 35 or 37. So I wanted to set an example for other athletes that age does not matter,' says MR Poovamma, Arjuna Awardee and the senior-most member of the Paris Olympics-bound Indian women's 4x400m relay team.
Following is India's schedule on Friday, Day 14 of competition at the Paris Games:
The men's quartet of Muhammed Anas Yahiya, Santosh Kumar, Mijo Chacko Kurian and Arokia Rajiv also failed to stand on top of the podium as they clocked 3:05.76 to finish second behind Sri Lanka (3:04.48). Vietnam was third with 3:07.37.
The team couldn't maintain the momentum on the anchor leg.
The squad comprises 17 men and 11 women athletes with some of the other prominent names being Asian Games champions Avinash Sable, Tejinderpal Singh Toor along with sprint hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, to name a few.
Yarraji also competed in the women's 200m event in Warsaw and clocked 23.53 to finish second behind compatriot Kiran Pahal, who timed her run at 23.33.
A low-down on the eight runners -- four men and four women -- who finished second in their qualifying heats to make the Olympic cut.
India will send 117 athletes to the Paris Olympics, starting July 26 in the French capital. This will be India's second-biggest contingent at an Olympic Games after 121 athletes went to Tokyo in 2021. A total of 47 female and 70 male athletes will be part of the Indian contingent at the Games.
"The men's 4x400m relay team had a good start. Muhammad Anas clocked 45.93 seconds in the first leg, but the second runner -- Rajesh Ramesh -- fell down due to cramps in leg muscles at the first bend," read a statement from the Athletics Federation of India.
It's a downfall for the powerhouse that produced some iconic names such as PT Usha, Shiny Wilson, Anju Bobby George, Rosa Kutty, Mercy Kuttan and Bobby Aloysius among others."
India now have 19 Paris-bound track and field athletes and the list includes defending javelin throw champion Neeraj Chopra among others.
Here's your complete guide to when India's athletes compete at the Paris Olympics, with dates, events, and timings in IST.
A few Indian stars will have to go through the disappointment of watching all the action from afar.
India had lodged a protest, stating that a Bahraini runner had caused obstruction to Hima Das during the relay race in which India finished second.
