Kodagu Native Poovamma Raju Machettira Anchors India to 4x400m Relay Gold at Asian Games
Nagoya(Japan): Kodagu native Poovamma Raju Machettira was part of the Indian quartet that delivered a gold-medal-winning performance in the women’s 4x400m relay at the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya on Tuesday, September 29.
Poovamma joined Kiran Pahal, Prachi and Vithya Ramraj to clock 3:29.69 in the final, securing India’s first gold medal in track and field at the ongoing continental Games. Bahrain finished second, while China took the bronze.
Poovamma, a native of Kodagu and a recipient of the 2015 Arjuna Award for her contribution to athletics, is the daughter of M.G. Raju and Jaji. She completed her Bachelor’s degree in Business Management from SDM College of Business Management, Mangaluru.
The victory marked a significant achievement for Poovamma, who hails from Kodagu and has represented India in international athletics. Her contribution came as part of a strong day for the Indian athletics contingent, which added several medals across track and field events.
Earlier, India won bronze in the mixed 4x100m relay, with Gurindervir Singh, Animesh Kujur, Sneha Sathyanarayana and Harita Bhadra clocking a season-best 41.06 seconds. China won gold in 40.78 seconds, while Thailand secured silver in 40.87 seconds.
India also added a bronze in the women’s high jump, with Pooja Singh clearing 1.84 metres. Though the effort was below her personal best, it was enough to secure a place on the podium.
Gulveer Singh continued his impressive run at the Games by winning bronze in the men’s 5000m with a time of 13:32.75. The medal was his third of the Games, following silver medals in the men’s 1500m and 10,000m events.
With three medals in a single edition, Gulveer became the second Indian man and fourth Indian athlete to achieve the feat in track and field at the Asian Games. Lavy Pinto, P.T. Usha and K.M. Beenamol had previously achieved the milestone.
In the men’s 4x400m relay, Dharamveer Choudhary, Manu Thekkinalil, Jay Kumar and Vishal Thennarasu won bronze after clocking 3:01.61, finishing behind Japan and Qatar.
India’s athletics campaign also saw Dev Kumar Meena set a national record in the men’s pole vault with a clearance of 5.50 metres, although he finished seventh. In the women’s hammer throw, Tanya Chaudhary finished fourth with 65.35m, while Anushka Yadav was fifth with 64.56m.
If you appreciate our work, please consider supporting us with a donation. You may contribute via Google Pay, PhonePe or Paytm at: 9980855901
To advertise on The Kodagu Express website, kindly call us at 9108795369 or mail us at thekodaguexpress@gmail.com
Join The Kodagu Express WhatsApp Group: CLICK HERE
Follow us on Instagram and X(Twitter)
Comments