Asian Games 2026: Vithya breaks 42-year PT Usha record, India wins 7 medals in track and field
Synopsis
Vithya Ramraj did what no Indian woman athlete had managed in 42 years — she ran past PT Usha's 1984 national record in the 400m hurdles, and she did it on a day when India also produced a limping silver from Sreeshankar, two doubles from Parul and Gulveer, and a javelin 2-3 finish. This was arguably India's single greatest day in Asian Games track and field history.
Key Takeaways
Vithya Ramraj clocked 54.75 seconds to break PT Usha's 42-year-old national record of 55.42 seconds in the women's 400m hurdles, winning bronze at Asian Games 2026 .
Murali Sreeshankar won men's long jump silver with 8.07m despite an ankle injury that forced him to skip his final two attempts.
Parul Chaudhary claimed her second medal — women's 5000m bronze in 15:14.61 — after her earlier 3000m steeplechase podium.
Gulveer Singh secured a second silver, finishing the men's 1500m in a personal best of 3:36.72 seconds , just 0.37 seconds off the Asian Games record.
Yash Vir Singh (silver, 85.72m ) and Rohit Yadav (bronze, 84.35m ) gave India a javelin double for the second successive Asian Games.
The women's 4x100m relay team qualified for the final with a season-best 43.65 seconds , the third-fastest overall qualifying time.
India produced one of its finest days in track and field at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya on Monday, 28 September, with Vithya Ramraj shattering a 42-year-old national record held by PT Usha in the women's 400m hurdles, while Parul Chaudhary, Gulveer Singh, Murali Sreeshankar, Yash Vir Singh, and Rohit Yadav all stepped onto the podium to cap a historic session at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium.
Vithya Ramraj Rewrites History
Vithya Ramraj clocked a personal best of 54.75 seconds to claim bronze in the women's 400m hurdles, eclipsing the previous national record of 55.42 seconds — a mark set by PT Usha at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics — by 0.67 seconds. The record had stood for 42 years, making it one of the longest-surviving benchmarks in Indian athletics.
Notably, Vithya had equalled Usha's mark at the 2023 Asian Games, where she also won bronze. Three years on, she finally moved past it. Mariam Kareem of the United Arab Emirates stormed to gold in a Games-record 54.31 seconds, while Kazakhstan's Adelina Zems secured silver with a personal best of 54.58 seconds. Vithya held her position through the closing stages but could not match Kareem's late surge.
Sreeshankar's Silver Through Injury
Murali Sreeshankar delivered the day's most courageous performance, winning silver in the men's long jump with a best effort of 8.07 metres despite suffering a serious ankle injury during his fourth attempt. After a heavy landing caused him to slip off the mark, Sreeshankar removed his spikes and was assessed by medics, yet refused to withdraw from the competition.
He skipped his fifth and sixth attempts, holding on to second place as no other competitor bettered his mark. China's Shi Yuhao took gold with a season-best 8.17m, while Uzbekistan's Anvar Anvarov claimed bronze with 8.06m. Sreeshankar had also won silver at the Hangzhou 2023 Asian Games.
Parul and Gulveer Complete Doubles
Parul Chaudhary added a women's 5000m bronze to the women's 3000m steeplechase medal she had already secured, finishing third in 15:14.61. She produced a strong finishing kick in the closing stages to move past Kazakhstan's Norah Tanui and claim third place. Bahrain's Winfred Yavi won gold, with Japan's Nozomi Tanaka taking silver.
Gulveer Singh mirrored that feat in the men's events, adding a 1500m silver to his earlier 10,000m silver. He finished in a personal best of 3:36.72 seconds, just 0.37 seconds behind gold medallist Kazuto Iizawa of Japan, who set an Asian Games record of 3:36.35 seconds. Japan's Nagiya Mori was third in 3:37.92 seconds.
Javelin Double and Relay Drama
India secured a silver-bronze double in the men's javelin throw. Yash Vir Singh achieved a personal best of 85.72 metres for silver, while Rohit Yadav took bronze with 84.35 metres. Sri Lanka's Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage, ranked World No. 1, won gold with 88.55m. Reigning Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem of Pakistan finished fourth with 80.29 metres. This is the second successive Asian Games edition in which India has won two javelin medals; at Hangzhou 2023, Neeraj Chopra took gold and Kishore Jena silver. Chopra could not defend his title after withdrawing from the season following a Diamond League injury.
In a thrilling relay development, the women's 4x100m team of Tamanna, Sneha SS, Sudeshna Shivankar, and Abinaya Rajarajan staged a dramatic comeback in Heat 2, clocking a season-best 43.65 seconds to record the third-fastest overall qualifying time and advance to the final. The quartet had been placed fourth to fifth heading into the closing leg before producing a sensational finish.
On the downside, Avinash Sable narrowly missed a medal in the men's 3000m steeplechase, finishing fourth in a season-best 8:21.67 seconds, 4.31 seconds behind gold medallist Ryuji Miura of Japan. With the relay final still to come, India's athletics contingent has further opportunities on the horizon.
Point of View
And 28 September in Nagoya may be the clearest evidence yet that it is arriving. Vithya Ramraj erasing a PT Usha record that had survived four decades is not a statistical footnote — it signals a structural depth in Indian women's sprinting that was unimaginable a decade ago. Sreeshankar's refusal to withdraw despite a visibly serious injury underlines a competitive mentality shift. Yet the absence of Neeraj Chopra, injured and unavailable, is a reminder of how thin the margin remains between a great day and a perfect one. The relay final will test whether India can convert momentum into medals when the pressure compounds.
NationPress
29 Sept 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
What national record did Vithya Ramraj break at the Asian Games 2026?
Vithya Ramraj broke PT Usha's 42-year-old national record in the women's 400m hurdles, clocking 54.75 seconds to improve the previous mark of 55.42 seconds set by Usha at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics. She won the bronze medal in the event at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya.
How did Murali Sreeshankar win silver despite being injured?
Sreeshankar recorded his best jump of 8.07 metres on his second attempt, then suffered a severe ankle injury during his fourth round after a heavy landing. Medics assessed him on the field, but he refused to withdraw, skipped his fifth and sixth attempts, and held on to silver as no competitor bettered his mark.
Which Indian athletes won two medals each at the Asian Games 2026 on Monday?
Parul Chaudhary won the women's 5000m bronze to go with her earlier women's 3000m steeplechase medal, and Gulveer Singh won the men's 1500m silver to add to his men's 10,000m silver — both completing doubles on the same day.
What happened in the men's javelin throw at the Asian Games 2026?
India secured a silver-bronze double, with Yash Vir Singh throwing a personal best of 85.72 metres for silver and Rohit Yadav claiming bronze with 84.35 metres. Sri Lanka's World No. 1 Rumesh Tharanga Pathirage won gold with 88.55 metres, while Pakistan's Olympic champion Arshad Nadeem finished fourth.
Did India's women's 4x100m relay team qualify for the final at the Asian Games 2026?
Yes, the Indian quartet of Tamanna, Sneha SS, Sudeshna Shivankar, and Abinaya Rajarajan qualified for the final after clocking a season-best 43.65 seconds in Heat 2, recording the third-fastest overall qualifying time. The team mounted a dramatic comeback after being placed fourth to fifth going into the final leg.
