Prachi Choudhary celebrates after winning the women’s 400m bronze medal as India continues its medal surge at the Asian Games (Images: X)
Nagoya-Aichi (Japan): India continued its medal-winning run at the Asian Games as athlete Prachi Choudhary secured a bronze medal in the women’s 400m final on Saturday. Prachi clocked 53.21 seconds to finish third in a highly competitive race, marking a major milestone in her individual career.
Bahrain’s Salma Naser won the gold medal with a Games Record time of 49.20 seconds, while Iran’s Zahra Zarei Manoujan claimed silver after finishing in 52.38 seconds. Another Indian athlete, Kiran, finished fifth with a timing of 53.41 seconds.
Prachi described the achievement as a special moment after years of hard work and perseverance. The 29-year-old athlete, who had earlier tasted success in relay events, finally reached the individual podium at one of Asia’s biggest sporting platforms. She had won silver medals as part of India’s women’s 4x400m relay team at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou and the 2019 Asian Championships. “This is a moment I have worked towards for a long time. I gave everything I had in that race, and to see it turn into an individual medal for the country means so much to me,” Prachi said, according to a press release from the Inspire Institute of Sport.
Prachi entered the Asian Games after showing impressive form during the season. Earlier this year, she achieved a personal best timing of 52.57 seconds in the women’s 400m event, highlighting her improvement ahead of the continental competition.
She credited her support system and training environment for helping her achieve the milestone. “This medal is the result of a lot of hard work, not just from me, but from everyone who has supported me through this journey,” she said.
Prachi’s bronze medal represents a significant step forward in her international career. She was also part of India’s women’s 4x400m relay team at the Paris 2024 Olympics and has gradually built her reputation on the global athletics stage. Looking ahead Prachi said she wants to continue improving and achieve bigger goals for India.
India’s young squash star Anahat Singh added another historic achievement by winning the silver medal in women’s singles. The 18-year-old lost the final 0-3 (4-11, 4-11, 7-11) against Malaysia’s Sivasangari Subramaniam. Despite missing out on gold, Anahat created history by becoming the first Indian woman to win a silver medal in the women’s singles category at the Asian Games.
Indian squash player Abhay Singh also finished with a silver medal in the men’s singles event. Abhay went down 9-11, 5-11, 5-11 against defending champion Eain Yow Ng of Malaysia in the final. The result also meant Abhay missed direct qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
The Indian men’s volleyball team made a strong start to its Asian Games campaign with a comfortable 3-0 victory over Vietnam in the Pool C preliminary round. India won the match 25-23, 25-21, 25-20 at Park Arena Komaki. Jerome Vinith led India’s scoring effort with 15 points, while Amit Balwan Singh contributed 12 points.
India will next face Hong Kong, China, aiming to continue its winning momentum.
India began Sunday placed 10th in the medal standings with four gold medals, 12 silver medals and 14 bronze medals. The Indian contingent will look to increase its medal count across multiple disciplines, including athletics, squash, weightlifting, kurash and shooting.
Indian athletes will also compete in badminton, archery, boxing, hockey and other events as the Games progress.
