Mariam Kareem secured the United Arab Emirates’ first gold medal at the 2026 Asian Games by winning the women’s 400-meter hurdles final in Nagoya on Tuesday, setting a new Games record with a time of 54.31 seconds. The 18-year-old athlete, who had already posted a personal best of 55.14 seconds in the qualifying round, improved her time by nearly a full second to claim the title.

Kareem’s performance surpassed the previous Asian Games record held by Bahrain’s Kemi Adekoya, set in 2023 during the Hangzhou edition. Finishing behind Kareem, Kazakhstan’s Adelina Zems took silver with a time of 54.58 seconds, while India’s Vithya Ramraj earned the bronze clocking 54.75 seconds.

The victory marks a significant milestone in Kareem’s burgeoning career. Born in 2008, she has previously competed at the Asian Championships and reached the top eight in the World U20 Championships. Just last month, Kareem set a UAE national under-20 record with a time of 56.27 seconds. This gold medal contributes to the UAE’s ongoing success in athletics at the Asian Games, following Sulaiman Abdulrahman’s silver medal in the men’s 400 meters earlier in the competition. The UAE had previously won five gold medals and a record 20 medals in total at the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

In addition to Kareem’s achievement, Ramraj’s bronze medal run was notable for breaking one of Indian athletics’ longest-standing records. Her 54.75-second finish improved upon P.T. Usha’s national record of 55.42 seconds, a mark set at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics that had stood for 42 years. Ramraj, who won bronze in the same event at the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou with a time of 66.68 seconds, has steadily advanced her career by challenging one of Indian athletics’ most historic records.

These performances highlight a competitive showdown in women’s 400-meter hurdles at the Nagoya Asian Games, with emerging talents reshaping regional and national record books.