Prachi Clinches 400m Bronze at Asian Games 2026
Prachi clinches bronze in the women's 400m at the Asian Games 2026, while Parul Chaudhary and Karthik Unnikrishnan narrowly miss out on medals.
India’s athletics campaign received a significant boost at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, as Prachi secured a bronze medal in a hard-fought women's 400m final. While the podium finish provided a moment of glory for the Indian contingent, several other athletes faced heartbreak after finishing just outside the medal positions.
Prachi Shines in 400m Sprint
In a high-octane women's 400m race, Prachi displayed remarkable grit to claim the bronze medal with a timed performance of 53.21 seconds. The race was dominated by Bahrain's Salma Naser, who set a new Games Record by clocking an incredible 49.20 seconds to take the gold. Iran's Zahra Zarei Manoujan earned the silver medal with a time of 52.38 seconds. India's Kiran also competed in the final, ultimately finishing in fifth place with a time of 53.41 seconds.
Men's 400m and Triple Jump Heartbreak
The men's side saw similar patterns of intense competition where Indian athletes fought hard but fell short of the podium. In the men's 400m final, Vishal TK finished in fifth place, recording a time of 45.48 seconds. The gold medal went to Thailand's Joshua Atkinson, who crossed the line in 44.90 seconds.
In the triple jump event, the Indian contingent faced a mix of results. Karthik Unnikrishnan finished sixth in the final with a best leap of 16.02m. The gold was secured by China's Wen Su, who set a Games Record with a massive jump of 17.42m. Japan's Manato Miyao took silver (16.77m), while China's Ma Yinglong claimed bronze (16.75m). Adding to the disappointment for India, Praveen Chithravel failed to record a valid mark in the competition.
Parul Chaudhary Narrowly Misses Podium
The women's 1500m final proved to be a bittersweet moment for Indian distance running. Parul Chaudhary delivered a stellar performance, clocking a personal best of 4:09.46, yet she finished in fourth place, just missing out on a medal. Her teammate Pooja also competed in the final, crossing the line in 4:16.78 to finish sixth.
The 1500m gold was claimed by Bahrain's Nelly Korir, who set a new Games Record with a time of 4:04.50.