Animesh Kujur dedicated India’s historic mixed 4x100m relay bronze medal to the nation and supporters at the Asian Games 2026. The Indian quartet shattered the national record in rain-swept Nagoya, completing a remarkable, medal-laden campaign on the track.
India’s track and field contingent scripted another memorable chapter on the international stage as sprinter Animesh Kujur dedicated the nation’s bronze medal in the mixed 4x100m relay at the Asian Games 2026 to the entire country, his coaches, family, and key support systems. The remarkable podium finish in Nagoya came on the back of a national-record-breaking performance under challenging, rain-soaked conditions on Tuesday.
The Indian mixed sprint quartet—comprising Gurindervir Singh, Sneha Sathyanarayana, Animesh Kujur, and anchor Harita Bhadra—clocked an exceptional 41.06 seconds to secure third place. In doing so, they shattered the previous Indian national mark of 41.35 seconds, established earlier this year by Ragul Kumar, Nithya Gandhe, Kujur, and Sneha at the World Relays 2026 in Gaborone.
Hosts China claimed the gold medal with a blistering time of 40.78 seconds, while Thailand held off the Indian charge to secure silver in 40.87 seconds.
Reflecting on the grueling final, Kujur expressed immense pride and relief, highlighting the squad’s unwavering self-belief despite heavy downpours that tested athletes across every lane.
“Today, there was a lot of rain, and it’s raining daily here, and this was my seventh time running on the track. So, I was confused about how I was going to feel, but I was having a lot of fun at that time because the level at which our team was motivated to go on the track was crazy,” Kujur stated after the race.
“I could understand that we were going to win a medal. When Gauri started so well, I understood that we were going to run well. And when Harita finished, I felt so relieved. Like, yeah, finally we did it. Whatever we came here for, we finally did it. Because we had prepared for this for the whole year. Today, after receiving the medal, we were like, wow. That moment was so good that I can’t explain it, seriously.”
Kujur, who endured a painful fall in a relay race just twenty-four hours earlier, revealed that the outpouring of encouragement from fans back home gave him renewed strength to push through fatigue and pressure.
“I want to dedicate this medal to India first because they were watching live from there and cheering for our team. They said, ‘Come on India, you have to do it.’ When I fell in the relay yesterday, I got a lot of messages from people whom I didn’t even know. They were asking how I was and telling me that I had to run well,” he said.
“Everyone was cheering for me. After that, I want to dedicate this medal to my federation, the Athletics Federation of India. Then to TOPS, Reliance Foundation and Puma. Apart from all this, my family believed in me and believed that I could go so far in sports. My family always thought that if I don’t study, nothing can happen in life. But I moved forward in sports, and today I brought the medal for India. I am so happy.”
The sprinter, currently seeking employment, added: “I want to get a job in ONGC, Income Tax, UGP, or in the state government.”
Harita, who added the relay bronze to her women’s 200m bronze won earlier in Nagoya, credited their wet-weather training for mitigating the rain’s impact. Gurindervir also expressed his gratitude to the backroom staff and coaches who ensured the squad peaked at the right time.
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India bolstered their relay haul further on the same evening. The men’s 4x400m relay quartet—Dharamveer Choudhary, Manu Theekkinil, Jay Kumar, and Vishal Thennarasu—clinched bronze in 3:01.61, trailing Japan (3:00.75) and Qatar (3:00.93). Earlier, the women’s 4x400m team of Kiran Pahal, M.R. Poovamma, Prachi, and Vithya Ramraj struck gold in 3:29.69, sealing a standout athletics campaign for India at the 2026 Asian Games.
