Asian Games 2026: Seema wins 10,000m bronze, relay takes silver

Seema won bronze in the women’s 10,000m as India opened its athletics medal account at the Asian Games 2026, before the mixed 4x400m relay team added silver on Thursday. The two medals gave India a strong start to its track and field campaign, with the relay quartet also extending the country’s medal streak in the event to three consecutive Asian Games.

The mixed relay team of TS Manu, MR Poovamma, Vishal TK and Vithya Ramraj clocked 3 minutes 14.46 seconds to place second. Bahrain won gold in a Games record time of 3:12.87. The result was initially kept unofficial after the UAE lodged a protest, but it was later confirmed after the UAE’s disqualification.

Relay team extends Asian Games medal run

India’s mixed 4x400m relay medal continued a sequence that began when the event was introduced at the 2018 Asian Games. India won gold in that edition and followed it with silver at the previous Asian Games, making the latest second-place finish its third straight medal in the discipline.

Earlier in the day, the Indian quartet had advanced to the final after finishing second in Heat 2. In the medal race, Manu, Poovamma, Vishal and Ramraj combined for 3:14.46, finishing behind Bahrain’s record-setting run.

Poovamma said the team had targeted gold but expected Bahrain to provide a difficult contest. “We were expecting a gold. But of course, Bahrain, we were expecting a tough fight. But we all ran really good,” she said. Poovamma added that the team wanted to change the colour of its medal in the women’s 400 relay.

The eventual confirmation of the mixed relay result secured India’s second athletics medal of the day. It also ensured the country remained on the podium in an event where it has been among the medal winners at every Asian Games since its introduction.

Seema delivers in women’s 10,000m

Seema, 25, took third place in the women’s 10,000m in 32:50.05. Bahrain’s Winfred Yavi won the race in 32:39.18, while Japan’s Nozomi Tanaka claimed silver in 32:41.54. Seema’s effort gave India its first athletics medal of the Games and marked a notable result in the long-distance event.

The runner from Himachal Pradesh received congratulations from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who described her performance as one that had brought India a medal in the event after many years. He said her achievement reflected endurance, discipline and years of hard work.

India also had several athletes in action beyond the medal events. In the women’s triple jump, Asha Ilango finished fourth on countback after producing a best jump of 13.83m, the same mark recorded by China’s Yi Li. Yi took third because her second-best jump of 13.79m was better than Ilango’s 13.65m.

In the men’s 100m, Animesh Kujur qualified for the semifinals after finishing third in Round One Heat 1 in 10.36 seconds. Thailand’s Puripol Boonson won that heat in 9.95 seconds. National record holder Gurindervir Singh also advanced, finishing second in Heat 4 with a time of 10.38 seconds.

More sprint action to follow

The 100m semifinals are scheduled for Friday, with the first three athletes in each of the six heats and the next six fastest runners progressing from the opening round. After Thursday’s bronze and silver, India’s athletics team will look to build on an opening day that featured a long-distance podium finish, another mixed relay medal and two sprinters moving through to the next stage.