Indian Women's Relay Team Shines at Asian Relay Championships 2026

Indian Women's 4x100m Relay Triumph

The Indian women's 4x100m relay squad, featuring Srabani Nanda, Sneha Shanuvalli, Sudeshna Shivankar, and Tamanna, achieved a remarkable season-best time of 43.85 seconds, securing the title at the Asian Relay Championships 2026. Their coach, Martin Owens from the Reliance Foundation, played a pivotal role in their success.

Medal Standings

China claimed the silver medal with a time of 44.09 seconds, while Thailand followed closely to take bronze at 44.11 seconds, as reported by Olympics.com. Both Tamanna and Sneha Shanuvalli concluded the championships with two medals each, having previously contributed to India's bronze in the mixed 4x100m event alongside teammates Animesh Kujur and Pranav Gurav.

Challenges in 4x400m Relays

In contrast, the Indian men's and women's 4x400m relay teams were unable to match their previous success from the inaugural 2024 edition in Bangkok, where they both secured silver. This time, the women's team, consisting of M R Poovamma, Rashdeep Kaur, Ansa Babu, and Saloni Nagar, finished fourth with a time of 3:47.22 seconds, while Vietnam took gold with a time of 3:31.16 seconds.

Men's 4x400m Performance

In the men's 4x400m relay, the team of Theerthesh P Shetty, Avinash Kumar, Suraj Alagar Raja, and Barath Sridhar placed fifth, clocking in at 3:05.33 seconds, as Vietnam clinched the title with a time of 3:02.60 seconds.

Overall Medal Count for India

India concluded the championships with a total of three medals: one gold, one silver, and one bronze. The mixed relay teams had previously secured silver in the 4x400m and bronze in the 4x100m on the opening day. Notably, India did not enter a men's 4x100m team due to injuries. The 2026 championships served as an important preparatory event ahead of a busy season, which includes the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games. India is also set to host the next Asian Relays Championships in 2027 in Chandigarh.