Asian Games 2026: 'Golden girls' clinch 4x400m relay gold medal

India's women's 4x400m relay team of Kiran Pahal, MR Poovamma, Prachi Choudhary, and Vithya Ramraj won the gold medal at the Asian Games 2026. The athletes expressed their pride, calling it a special moment to win for the country.

Indian women’s 4x400m relay gold medallists Kiran Pahal, Prachi Choudhary and MR Poovamma expressed their emotions after scripting a memorable triumph at the Asian Games 2026, saying winning gold for the country and hearing the national anthem was a special moment.

India clinched its first athletics gold medal of the Asian Games 2026 after the quartet of Kiran Pahal, Machettira Poovamma, Prachi Choudhary and Vithya Ramraj clocked 3:29.69 to finish on top in the women’s 4x400m relay final on Tuesday. Bahrain won silver with 3:30.21, while China secured bronze after clocking 3:31.02.

'We Proved We Are Golden Girls'

Speaking to ANI, MR Poovamma said she was proud and happy after winning her sixth Asian Games medal, adding that the women’s 4x400m relay gold was her first athletics gold at the event. She said the team was determined to win despite challenging conditions and proved that Indian women are “golden girls.” Notably, India's quartet of Manu TS, Poovamma MR, Vishal TK and Vithya Ramraj had earlier clinched the silver medal in the mixed 4x400m relay final at the Asian Games, clocking 3:14.46.

“It is my sixth Asian Games medal. In 2014, I won one bronze and one gold and in 2018, two golds. Now, one silver and one gold. Very proud, very happy, and this is my first athletics gold medal. It's a very happy moment; there are no words to describe it,” she said.

“We had only one aim: we had to win gold no matter what- maybe the rain conditions or wet track or whatever; we had to win the gold. So we just proved that we Indian girls are always the golden girls,” she added.

Kiran Pahal: 'It's a Dream'

Kiran Pahal said she was overwhelmed after winning her first gold medal, adding that her focus was on executing a smooth baton exchange to help the team secure victory. She dedicated the medal to the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), the government, her family and her coach.

“So much excitement that I can't tell. It's a dream. My mind was just set on one thing: if I pass the baton properly, if our baton exchange is good, it will give us the lead, and we will win gold. The biggest thought in my mind was that if we stand on the podium, we will get our gold, and our national anthem will be played. That's what I was excited about,” she said.

“I was really crying because it was my first time. I mean, I participated in the Olympics before in 2024, but this is my first gold medal, so I'm extremely happy about that. I would like to dedicate this medal to the Athletic Federation of India (AFI), the government, my family, and my coach,” she added.

Prachi Choudhary's Gold Medal Determination

Prachi Choudhary said she was determined to win gold after securing silver in the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games relay. She added that her focus during the race was to build a strong lead for teammate Vithya Ramraj in the final leg, which helped the team secure the gold medal.

“I'm very excited. Last time (2022 Hangzhou Asian Games), I won a silver in the relay. So right then, I decided I would bring home the gold. And our CM of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath ji, had announced a policy that he would only give the DSP rank to whoever won gold. So before coming, I got my uniform completely tailored to make sure I'd bring the gold back, no matter what. Like, even if I die, I'll bring the gold, and I'll come back and wear that uniform. That's what was on my mind,” she said.

“We were thinking that however much lead I could give to Vithya, our teammate, it’ll be good for us because the Bahrain team's girl, Salwa Naser, is very strong; there's no match for her. So my main target was to give as much lead as possible to Vithya. I was running with that in mind. I didn't care who was behind me or ahead of me; I just had to give the lead, whatever happens. At the end, I pulled a lot and gave her the lead, and she maintained it and we have a gold today,” Prachi added.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)