Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed India’s mixed 4x400m relay team for an exceptional performance after the quartet won silver at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya on Thursday.
Machettira Poovamma Raju, Vishal Thennarasu, Vithya Ramraj and Thekkinalil Manu clocked 3:14.46 to finish second in a closely contested final at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.
The Prime Minister’s Office congratulated the athletes, praising their speed, coordination and determination during the race.
PM Modi described the performance as a proud moment for Indian athletics and wished the team continued success.
An exceptional performance by our Mixed 4x400m Relay team!
Congratulations to Manu TS, Poovamma MR, Vishal TK and Vithya Ramraj on winning the Silver medal at the Asian Games. Their speed, coordination and determination made for an exciting race and a proud moment for Indian…
— PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 25, 2026
Bahrain claimed gold in a Games-record 3:12.87, while Vietnam finished third in 3:14.54. Japan took fourth place with a time of 3:15.52. India held off Vietnam by 0.08 seconds to secure the silver medal.
The result extended India’s strong record in the mixed 4x400m relay at the Asian Games.
The country won gold in the event at Jakarta 2018 before taking silver at Hangzhou 2023. The Nagoya silver means India has now won a medal in the event at three consecutive editions of the Asian Games.
Vishal Thennarasu has also enjoyed success at the continental level. 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. He also finished fourth in the individual 400m event.
Vithya Ramraj represented India at Paris 2024 and won mixed 4x400m silver at the 2022 Asian Games and 400m hurdles bronze in 2023.
India’s Nagoya silver marks its third straight Asian Games medal in the mixed 4x400m relay.
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