Harita Bhadra hopes to put Indian sprinting on the world map after Asian Games double

At the finish line of the women's 200m final at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, the Harita Bhadra had to wait for the official results. The result was so close that she wasn't sure she had won a medal.

Japan's Abigeirufuka Ido was just 0.01 seconds behind her, and the margin between a podium finish and missing out was almost imperceptible.

Bhadra had felt she was third, but there was no certainty until the result appeared on the screen. Even then, the realisation took a moment.

“When they finally came up, like, I just couldn't believe it. I was so happy that I managed to achieve the goal which we had for the whole year, to be on the podium," she told The Bridge in an exclusive chat.

The bronze, won in 23.20 seconds, made Bhadra the first Indian woman since Dutee Chand in 2018 to win an Asian Games medal in the 200m. It was also the culmination of a year in which she had decided to give athletics her undivided attention.

After completing her BSc in Sports Science, Coaching and Physical Education at Loughborough University in 2025, Bhadra chose to focus fully on running in 2026. It was the first time she could pursue the sport without balancing it with her studies. The decision paid off spectacularly.

She won the 200m at the National Inter-State Championships in June in 23.14 seconds, meeting the Asian Games qualifying standard. In September, she clocked 11.22 seconds in the 100m at the Indian Athletics Series Final in New Delhi, becoming the second-fastest Indian woman in the event's history, behind Dutee Chand's national record of 11.17 seconds.

The performances gave her confidence, but the Asian Games presented a different challenge. Bhadra was a late addition to India's team and had never represented the country at a junior international competition before making her senior international debut in Nagoya.

Her medal-winning race also offered a reminder of how far she had come, and how much the final stretch mattered.

Winning in the final metres

Bhadra had the slowest reaction time in the 200m final, at 0.187 seconds. But she finished strongly, edging Abigeirufuka in a photo finish. The closing stages were no accident: they were a specific focus of her work with coach Rohit Mane.

“We had been working on the finishing of the race, the last 60 to 30 metres. And I think that really helped, like, that really translated so well because I think because of those last 60 metres, I think I have a bronze medal today,” she said.

“It was also in our race plan that as soon as I hit the last 60, I just have to go as hard as I can.”

The plan held up when it mattered most. But the medal meant more than a close finish or a tactical success. Her family had travelled to Nagoya to watch her compete, turning the moment into something she could share with the people who had supported her journey.

“Because my family was there in the stands, that just made this whole experience like 1,000 times more special because I could celebrate it with them,” she said.

“Every time I finish a race, I'm looking in the stands to find them, like, oh, where are they? And then they shout my name, and then that is just a feeling. Like, it's the best feeling, I would say.”

That feeling returned when Bhadra won a second bronze in the mixed 4x100m relay, where India set a national record of 41.06 seconds. Entrusted with the anchor leg, she approached the responsibility with a simplicity that belied the stakes.

“I just knew that I was trusted because I can do it. So I wasn't really thinking so much about it,” she said. “I was just like, okay, I just have to run the last leg, and I will give my best.”

For Bhadra, the relay was a team effort, with each athlete doing their job.

"I wasn't really thinking much about it because that would just make me think and overthink things,” she added.

A sprinter beyond the track

Bhadra began competitive running at 11, after a physical education teacher encouraged her to participate in her school's sports day. From there, she came through Mumbai's school, district and junior athletics circuits before joining the Reliance Foundation programme, where she now trains under Mane.

Since then, Bhadra has improved her personal bests a total of six times across the 100m and 200m.

Her sports science degree has also shaped how she understands her training, from biomechanics to sports psychology. 

“My degree has helped me understand the sports science part of running, like the biomechanics. I've been able to understand it better, and because of that, apply it better. One module was also on sports psychology. All of that, I think, unknowingly, has helped me a lot to manage myself more professionally and be more mature,” Harita said.

Yet the 23-year-old's life is not defined entirely by athletics. She also designs and makes handmade jewellery under her brand, Dagina, selling her creations online.

The venture began as a creative outlet, a way to step away from the demands of training and find a different kind of fulfilment. She is even considering designing a piece inspired by her Asian Games experience.

And while she is happy to compete at the highest level, Bhadra has no intention of turning every leisure activity into another training session.

“If you're on a vacation, if I have to do a sport recreationally, okay, fine, I would do it for once, but I wouldn't want my vacation doing something sporty,” she said with a chuckle.

“Even if I'm in sports, that doesn't mean I always love to do sports.”

Tennis and shooting are among the activities she enjoys recreationally. For now, however, her focus is firmly on the track.

“I want to qualify for the World Championships, and I want to perform really well over there and get that Indian name in sprinting at the world level,” she said.

A year ago, she was finishing university and preparing to commit herself fully to athletics. Now, after two Asian Games medals, Bhadra is looking ahead to what might come next.

“2028 is going to be a very important year. It has World Indoors in India, in Bhubaneswar, and the Olympics, obviously. So these two years are very important. I just want to do my best, the best possible I can.”

The celebrations have settled, the month has flown by, and she is ready to return to training.

For a sprinter whose breakthrough came in the final metres, the next stretch is already in sight.