Odisha sprinter Astik Pradhan his maiden international success with a gold medal at the Asian U-23 Athletics Championship at Ordos in China today. He was part of the Indian 4x400 mixed relay team that won the gold with a time of 3 minutes and 18.64 seconds. Other three runners of the Indian quartet were: Sandra Mol Sabu, Setu Mishra and Shravani Sachin.

China secured the silver medal, clocking 3:18.74, while Philippines bagged the bronze with a time of 3:25.28. Astik ran the opening leg, followed by Sabu, Setu and Shravani. In a scintillating finish, Shravani made up a big deficit to overtake Chinese runner Yingying Hunag in the last 10-15 metres and seal victory.

Astik hails from Bada Ankula village in Delanga tehsil of Puri district, and trains at the Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar. The 20-year-old sprinter has won more than 10 medals in National and All-India athletics competitions so far.

Son of Pramod Pradhan, Astik won the 400m gold medal with New National Record at the 23rd National Junior Federation Athletics Championship last year in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Two years ago, he captured one gold and one silver medal at the 39th National Junior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PHOTO: Runners of Indian 4x400m mixed relay team (L-R), Sandra Mol Sabu, Astik Pradhan, Setu Mishra and Shravani Sachin, celebrate after winning the gold medal at the Asian U-23 Athletics Championships in Ordos in China on 9 July 2026.