India added another medal to its tally on the fifth day of the 2026 Asian Games, with the country's mixed 4x400m relay team producing a strong performance to win the silver medal.

Poovamma Machettira, Vishal Thennarasu, Vithya Ramaraj and Manu Thekkinnalil combined brilliantly in the final, finishing ahead of Vietnam and securing a place on the podium.

But behind India's silver medal are stories of determination, struggle and athletes who fought their way through difficult circumstances to reach the Asian Games.

India Finishes Just Behind Bahrain

The Indian team clocked 3:14.46 in the mixed 4x400m relay final.

Bahrain took the gold medal with a time of 3:12.87, while Vietnam finished just behind India in 3:14.54 to take bronze.

The extremely close finish made India's silver even more memorable, with the Indian quartet holding off Vietnam by just 0.08 seconds.

Vithya Ramaraj: Daughter of a Truck Driver

One of the most inspiring stories from India's relay team is that of Vithya Ramaraj.

Vithya comes from a financially difficult 's daughter who chose athletics, an athlete who overcame childhood physical difficulties and a seasoned runner who fought back from injury—all came together on the same track.

Their combined effort delivered another Asian Games medal for India and gave fans several inspiring stories to remember long after the race was over.