India’s athletics campaign falls short despite standout performances in Nagoya

India’s athletics contingent won 24 medals at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya, falling short of the 29 medals secured at the 2023 Games in Hangzhou. The tally comprised one gold, nine silver and 14 bronze medals, compared with six gold, 14 silver and nine bronze medals in Hangzhou. The result comes after the Sports Ministry introduced strict selection criteria intended to send only athletes considered genuine medal contenders.

Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had said the Asian Games was not an exposure tour. The athletics results nevertheless included missed opportunities, injuries and athletes who were below their best. Vithya Ramraj was among India’s leading performers.

She broke P.T. Usha’s longstanding national record in the women’s 400m hurdles, winning bronze in 54.75 seconds on a rain-affected track. She then helped India win the women’s 4x400m relay, alongside Kiran Pahal, Machettira Poovamma and Prachi.

The quartet won in 3:29.69, ahead of Bahrain and China. Ramraj also won silver in the mixed 4x400m relay, giving her three medals in Nagoya. Her campaign followed a fall at a domestic event weeks before the Games, when she had to be assisted from the track.

Gulveer Singh also stood out, winning three individual medals. The middle-distance runner became the first Indian athlete to achieve that feat at a single Asian Games, according to the source material. He won silver in the 1,500m and 10,000m and another medal in the 5,000m.

Several athletes also won medals with personal bests, including javelin thrower Yashvir Singh, marathon runner Sawan Barwal and steeplechaser Parul Chaudhary. But India’s gold prospects were weakened by Neeraj Chopra’s absence through injury, Avinash Sable’s return from an ACL injury and non-starts by Jyothi Yarraji and Praveen Chitravel.