Anurag Thakur Hails India's Bronze in Men's 4×400m Relay at Asian Games 2026
Synopsis
BJP MP Anurag Thakur congratulated the Indian men's 4×400m relay team — Dharmveer Chaudhary, Manu TS, Jay Kumar and Vishal TK — on winning bronze at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, celebrating the achievement on X.
Key Takeaways
India's men's 4×400m relay team won a bronze medal at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan .
The four-man squad comprised Dharmveer Chaudhary , Manu TS , Jay Kumar , and Vishal TK .
BJP MP Anurag Thakur , former Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, publicly congratulated the team on September 29, 2026 .
India's relay programme has been building steadily since the record medal haul at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games .
The result adds to India's athletics tally at the Aichi-Nagoya Games and keeps attention on the pathway to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics .
India's relay runners delivered on the biggest stage in Asian athletics — and the congratulations came swiftly. BJP MP Anurag Thakur took to X on Tuesday, September 29, 2026 to celebrate the Indian men's 4×400m relay team after they claimed a bronze medal at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Thakur named all four members of the winning quartet: Dharmveer Chaudhary, Manu TS, Jay Kumar, and Vishal TK. 'Congratulations to the Indian team consisting of ace runners Dharmveer Chaudhary, Manu TS, Jay Kumar and Vishal TK on winning the Bronze Medal in the Men's 4×400m Relay at Asian Games 2026,' he wrote, signing off with Jai Hind and the tricolour.
A Relay Tradition India Has Been Building On
The men's 4×400m relay has become one of Indian athletics' signature events at continental competitions. At the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, India posted its best-ever overall medal haul at the Games — a benchmark that set expectations high for the Aichi-Nagoya edition. A relay bronze adds to that momentum, signalling that the sprint pipeline India has been nurturing is bearing fruit at the highest Asian level.Thakur's Voice in Indian Sport
Thakur's public congratulations carry a layer of institutional weight. As the former Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, he oversaw India's sporting calendar through a consequential period that included the Tokyo Olympics, Commonwealth Games Birmingham, and the Hangzhou Asian Games cycle. Now as a Lok Sabha MP from Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, he has continued to use his platform to spotlight athletic achievements — a habit that keeps him closely identified with India's sporting story even outside the Cabinet. For Dharmveer Chaudhary, Manu TS, Jay Kumar, and Vishal TK, the medal is the reward for months of preparation and the kind of precise baton exchange that relay bronze demands. Four athletes, one baton, one podium — India's colours on the track in Japan. The Athletics Federation of India will now look at how this result feeds into the road toward the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, where relay qualifying standards will sharpen focus considerably.Point of View
And medals at the Asian Games level are now the expected baseline rather than a pleasant surprise. With the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics cycle already under way, every continental podium finish sharpens the case for greater Athletics Federation funding and relay-specific coaching. The question policymakers will ask is whether a bronze can be converted into an Olympic final appearance within two years.
NationPress
29 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won the bronze medal in the Men's 4×400m relay at Asian Games 2026?
India's men's 4×400m relay team — comprising Dharmveer Chaudhary , Manu TS , Jay Kumar , and Vishal TK — won the bronze medal at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Where are the Asian Games 2026 being held?
The Asian Games 2026 are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan , organised by the Olympic Council of Asia.
Why did Anurag Thakur congratulate the relay team?
Anurag Thakur , a BJP Lok Sabha MP and former Union Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports, congratulated the team on their bronze medal, continuing his practice of publicly celebrating Indian athletic achievements at major events.
What is India's history in the 4×400m relay at the Asian Games?
India has fielded relay teams at the Asian Games for several decades, with the men's 4×400m relay becoming a competitive event for the country particularly through the 2020s, building on a record overall medal tally at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games .
What comes next for India's relay team after this Asian Games bronze?
Attention will turn to the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics , where relay qualifying standards will be the key benchmark; the Athletics Federation of India is expected to review performances from Aichi-Nagoya as part of that planning cycle.
