India wrapped up the 2nd Asian Relays Championships in Shangyu, China, with three medals, headlined by a gold from the women’s 4x100m relay team. The quartet of Srabani Nanda, Sneha SS, Sudeshna Shivankar and Tamanna delivered a season-best 43.85 seconds to top the podium. The Indian contingent also secured a silver in the mixed 4x400m relay and a bronze in the mixed 4x100m relay, marking a productive outing ahead of a packed athletics calendar that includes the Commonwealth Games and Asian Games.
The 2nd Asian Relays Championships
The 2nd Asian Relays Championships were held on 20-21 June 2026 at the Shangyu Stadium in Shaoxing, China. Organised by the Asian Athletics Association (AAA), the event featured six relay events: men’s and women’s 4x100m and 4x400m, along with the mixed 4x100m and mixed 4x400m relays. The championships serve as a dedicated continental platform for relay specialists, distinct from the broader Asian Athletics Championships which cover individual track and field events.
The inaugural edition was held in Bangkok, Thailand in 2024, where India won one gold and two silver medals. India opted not to field a men’s 4x100m team in this edition due to injuries to key runners.
India’s Medal Winning Performances
Women’s 4x100m Relay: Gold
India’s finest moment came on the final day of the championships in the women’s 4x100m relay. The team of Srabani Nanda, Sneha SS (also known as Sneha Shanuvalli), Sudeshna Shivankar and Tamanna clocked 43.85 seconds, a season-best time, to win the gold medal. They held off a strong challenge from China, who took silver in 44.09s, while Thailand claimed bronze with 44.11s.
The quartet was coached by Martin Owens of the Reliance Foundation, and their performance was marked by sharp baton exchanges and strong finishing speed. This was India’s first gold medal at the Asian Relays Championships since the 2024 edition.
Mixed 4x400m Relay: Silver
On the opening day, the Indian mixed 4x400m relay team won the silver medal with a timing of 3 minutes 17.06 seconds. The quartet of Theerthesh P Shetty, MR Poovamma, Barath Sridhar and Neeru Pathak finished second behind Kazakhstan, who won gold in 3:16.75. China took the bronze with 3:17.20.
This was India’s second medal in the mixed 4x400m relay at the Asian Relays Championships. The team had won gold in the same event at the inaugural edition in Bangkok in 2024 with a then national record time of 3:14.12.
Mixed 4x100m Relay: Bronze
India also secured the bronze medal in the mixed 4x100m relay. The team of national 200m record holder Animesh Kujur, Pranav Gurav, Tamanna and Sneha Shanuvalli clocked 41.47 seconds, finishing behind Thailand (gold, 41.14s) and China (silver, 41.29s). The timing was just 0.12 seconds short of the national record of 41.35s, which was set by a different Indian quartet at the World Relays earlier in 2026.
Both Tamanna and Sneha Shanuvalli ended the championships with two medals each, having been part of both the gold-winning women’s 4x100m team and the bronze-winning mixed 4x100m team.
Chandigarh to Host the 2027 Edition
India is scheduled to host the 3rd Asian Relays Championships in Chandigarh in May 2027. The Sector 7 Sports Complex has been selected as the venue after the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) chose Chandigarh over Saudi Arabia during its council meeting in Hong Kong in May 2026. More than 250 athletes from around 20-24 countries are expected to compete.
This will be the first major international sporting championship in Chandigarh since the city hosted the Asian Rowing Championships in 1989. The flag for the 2027 edition was formally received by Punjab Governor and UT Administrator Gulab Chand Kataria during the closing ceremony of the 2026 championships in Shaoxing.
The Athletics Federation of India (AFI), which submitted the bid to host the event, has announced that the Sector 7 Sports Complex will be upgraded to international standards. Upgrades include expanding spectator capacity to 7,000 seats, upgrading floodlights to 2,000 lux (from the current 500 lux), and installing canopies for spectator comfort. The estimated budget for the upgrades is around Rs 6 to 7 crore.
About the Asian Relays Championships
The Asian Relays Championships is a continental athletics competition organised exclusively for relay events. It was introduced by the Asian Athletics Association (AAA) to provide a dedicated platform for relay teams across Asia, similar to the World Relays organised by World Athletics. The competition covers men’s, women’s and mixed events in the 4x100m and 4x400m distances.
The AAA is the continental governing body for athletics in Asia. It was founded in November 1973 and is headquartered in Pathum Thani, Thailand. Its current president is Gen. Dahlan Jumaan Al-Hamad of Qatar, who has held the position since 2013. The AAA has 45 member national associations, including the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). The AFI was established in 1946 and is headquartered in New Delhi. It is responsible for selecting and managing Indian teams for international competitions such as the Olympics, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games and Asian Championships.
Key Takeaways
- India won three medals at the 2nd Asian Relays Championships held in Shangyu, China on 20-21 June 2026.
- The women’s 4x100m relay team of Srabani Nanda, Sneha SS, Sudeshna Shivankar and Tamanna won the gold medal with a season-best 43.85 seconds.
- The mixed 4x400m team won silver (3:17.06) and the mixed 4x100m team won bronze (41.47 seconds).
- The Asian Athletics Association (AAA) was founded in November 1973 and is headquartered in Pathum Thani, Thailand.
- The Athletics Federation of India (AFI), established in 1946, is headquartered in New Delhi.
- India will host the 3rd Asian Relays Championships in Chandigarh in May 2027 at the Sector 7 Sports Complex, the first major international athletics event in the city since the 1989 Asian Rowing Championships.
