Nagoya: Looking to brush aside the disappointment of finishing fifth in Men’s 200m final, Animesh Kujur looked to be a man on a mission on another rainy day at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games 2026.
The ace sprinter from Odisha ran a blistering third leg in the 4x100m Mixed Relay heats amid steady rain on Monday to hand the Indian team the lead.
Unfortunately, as he passed the baton to Harita Bhadra, Kujur suffered a nasty fall on the slippery track.
Fortunately, the process of handing over the baton to Bhadra — who won bronze in Women’s 200m on Sunday — was completed successfully.
Even as Kujur went sprawling to the floor, the other athletes were taken by surprise. Bhadra realised her fellow runner had fallen down, but gathered herself quickly and showed great composure to stick to her task.
WATCH THIS BATON EXCHANGE!
Animesh Kujur slips while passing the baton to Harita Bhadra — but watch Harita’s professionalism and composure.
Completely unfazed, she gathers herself, takes the baton cleanly and brings it home to ensure India qualify for the Mixed 4x100m Relay…
— nnis Sports|Asian GamesAthletics (@nnis_sports) September 28, 2026
Bhadra ran her Chinese rival close, finishing second in a photo finish. But that was enough to propel the quartet of Gurindervir Singh, Abhinaya Rajarajan, Kujur and Bhadra to Tuesday’s final.
As Kujur posed for the camera with his teammates, he didn’t appear in any discomfort. The entire Indian contingent and his fans back home will be hoping that he is completely fit to fight for a medal in 24 hours’ time.