Pooja wins high jump bronze at Asian Games 2026
Indian athlete Pooja clinches bronze in women's high jump at the Asian Games 2026 with a stellar 1.84m clearance.
Indian athlete Pooja has secured a bronze medal in the women's high jump event at the Asian Games 2026, delivering a standout performance in a tense final held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
A clinical performance on the podium
Pooja showcased remarkable consistency throughout the competition, clearing 1.84m to secure her place on the podium. Notably, she cleared every attempt up to the winning height on her very first try. This clean record proved decisive, as she secured the bronze medal on a countback advantage over competitors from China and Kazakhstan, who also cleared the same height.
The competition saw intense rivalry among the top athletes:
- Gold: Barnokhon Sayfullaeva (Uzbekistan) with 1.90m
- Silver: Kristina Ovchinnikova (Kazakhstan) with 1.87m
- Bronze: Pooja (India) with 1.84m
India's Supriya Basavaraju also participated in the high jump final, finishing in 12th place with a best clearance of 1.75m.
A golden day for Indian athletics
Pooja's achievement adds to a highly successful day for the Indian contingent at the Aichi-Nagoya games. The athletics campaign has seen significant momentum, particularly in the relay events.
Relay triumphs and historic wins
The Indian women's 4x400m relay team delivered a gold-medal performance, clocking a time of 3:29.69 to beat Bahrain (silver) and China (bronze). The quartet consisted of Kiran, Machettira Poovamma, Prachi, and Vithya Ramraj. This victory marked a second gold for the team on the day, with Vithya Ramraj adding to her personal tally after previously winning bronze in the 400m hurdles.
In the men's 4x400m relay, the Indian team—comprising Dharmveer Choudhary, Manu Thekkinalil, Jay Kumar, and Vishal Thennarasu—clinched a bronze medal with a time of 3:01.61 in a race decided by less than a second.
Earlier in the day, Neeru Dhanda made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win an individual medal in the women's trap event, clinching gold with a score of 28/30. Her victory marked India's second gold in shooting at these games.