Saharanpur: Celebrations erupted in Prachi Choudhary's hometown after the Indian athlete won the gold medal in the women's 4x400m relay at the Asian Games 2026 in Nagoya, Japan, along with teammates Kiran Pahal, Machettira Poovamma and Vithya Ramraj.
Prachi's family expressed immense pride and happiness after the achievement, saying her success has brought honour to their village, district and the country.
Her mother, Rajesh Devi, told ANI, "This is a moment of great joy. She has brought glory to the entire village, the city, and the country. The atmosphere in the village is wonderful. People are celebrating. The whole village is happy. I would just say that all children should emulate Prachi and bring honour to the village."
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Prachi's father, Jaiveer Singh, also celebrated the historic achievement and praised the hard work of the athletes who secured the gold medal for India.
"We feel wonderful today that our daughters have brought glory to India. What could be a matter of greater pride? They have brought honour to our village, district, state, and country... the whole village is happy... There is an atmosphere of great joy in the village; everyone is happy... To the children, I would simply say: keep working hard, and one day you will surely succeed," he told ANI.
India clinched its first athletics gold medal of the Asian Games 2026 after the quartet of Kiran Pahal, Machettira Poovamma, Prachi Choudhary and Vithya Ramraj clocked 3:29.69 to finish on top in the women's 4x400m relay final on Tuesday. Bahrain won silver with 3:30.21, while China secured bronze after clocking 3:31.02.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also congratulated the Indian women's 4x400m relay team on their gold medal-winning performance at the Asian Games 2026, calling it "a proud moment for Indian athletics".
In an X post by the Prime Minister's Office, PM Modi congratulated Kiran Pahal, Poovamma MR, Prachi and Vithya Ramraj for their gold medal-winning performance in the women's 4x400m relay, praising their speed, determination and teamwork. He called the achievement a proud moment for Indian athletics.
