Mandaviya hails India's silver in 4x400m Mixed Relay at Asian Games 2026
Synopsis
Team India claimed silver in the 4x400m Mixed Relay at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya lauded all four athletes — M R Poovamma, Vithya Ramraj, Manu T S, and Vishal T K — for their performance.
Key Takeaways
Team India won silver in the 4x400m Mixed Relay at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan .
The medal-winning quartet comprised M R Poovamma , Vithya Ramraj , Manu T S , and Vishal T K .
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya personally named each runner in his congratulatory post on 24 September 2026 .
The result builds on government investment through the Khelo India (2017) and Target Olympic Podium Scheme (expanded 2018) programmes.
India's relay programme is now being tracked as a potential medal contender at the 2028 Olympics .
Four athletes, one baton, and a silver medal that lands India firmly on the track-and-field map at the Asian Games 2026. Union Labour and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya took to X on Thursday, 24 September 2026 to celebrate the Indian quartet's performance in the 4x400m Mixed Relay, naming each runner who made the podium finish possible.
The four names behind the silver
Mandaviya singled out M R Poovamma, Vithya Ramraj, Manu T S, and Vishal T K by name — a deliberate choice that cuts through the anonymity of relay running and puts faces to the feat. Poovamma is one of Indian athletics' most experienced voices on the track, having represented the country across multiple Olympic and Asian Games cycles in the 400m. Her presence in a mixed relay at this stage of her career underlines the depth India is now drawing on.
Why the Mixed Relay matters for Indian athletics
The 4x400m Mixed Relay — two men, two women running alternate legs — is one of the more tactically demanding relay formats, requiring both raw speed and precise sequencing across gender lines. India clinching silver at Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, signals a relay programme that has matured well beyond individual heroics. Successive government-backed initiatives — from the Khelo India scheme launched in 2017 to the expanded Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) from 2018 — have channelled dedicated funding into relay-specific training camps and athletics infrastructure, and results like this are part of that longer arc.
A minister who watches the splits
Mandaviya's post, carrying the hashtags #AsianGames2026 and #Cheer4Bharat, was not a generic congratulatory note — it named every runner. For a sports minister, that specificity is a signal: that the government is watching not just the medal tally headline but the individual contributors who build it. The relay silver sits inside a broader pattern of Indian athletics punching harder at continental level, with the conversation already pivoting to what the 2028 Olympics might hold for this core group.
India came for silver. The next question is whether this relay unit can go one better on the global stage.
Point of View
Which prioritised team-format events alongside individual sprinters. Mandaviya's decision to name all four athletes publicly is consistent with the BJP government's strategy of personalising sporting achievements to build grassroots enthusiasm for athletics. The mixed relay format, which debuted at the Olympics in 2020, is now a priority corridor: strong Asian Games performances directly inform TOPS selection and funding for the Olympic cycle. Whether India can convert continental silver into a global final appearance in 2028 will be the real test of this programme's depth.
NationPress
24 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won silver for India in the 4x400m Mixed Relay at Asian Games 2026?
India's silver medal in the 4x400m Mixed Relay at the 2026 Asian Games was won by M R Poovamma, Vithya Ramraj, Manu T S, and Vishal T K.
Where are the Asian Games 2026 being held?
The 21st Asian Games are being held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.
Who is M R Poovamma?
M R Poovamma is an experienced Indian track and field athlete specialising in the 400m, who has represented India at multiple Olympics and Asian Games editions.
What is the Khelo India scheme?
Khelo India is a central government scheme launched in 2017 to identify and nurture sporting talent across disciplines in India, including athletics and relay events.
What did Minister Mansukh Mandaviya say about the relay silver?
Mandaviya called it 'a brilliant performance' and named all four relay runners — M R Poovamma, Vithya Ramraj, Manu T S, and Vishal T K — in his post on X, congratulating them under the hashtag #Cheer4Bharat.
