CM Rekha Gupta hails India's para-badminton gold at Asian Para Games 2026
Synopsis
Delhi CM Rekha Gupta praised Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manasi Joshi after the duo clinched gold in Women's Doubles SL3-SU5 Badminton at the Asian Para Games 2026, calling it 'a golden triumph for Bharat' and celebrating their teamwork and determination.
Key Takeaways
Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manasi Joshi won gold in Women's Doubles SL3-SU5 Badminton at the Asian Para Games 2026 .
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta publicly congratulated the pair on 23 October 2026 via X.
The Asian Para Games is a quadrennial multi-sport event for para athletes across Asia, run by the Asian Paralympic Council .
Manasi Joshi is one of India's most decorated para-badminton competitors, with a record spanning multiple international editions.
The gold adds to India's para-sport momentum and feeds into the national push for greater institutional support for para athletes.
Gold for India — and it came on the badminton court. Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manasi Joshi claimed the top prize in Women's Doubles SL3-SU5 Badminton at the Asian Para Games 2026, and Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta was among the first to celebrate on Friday, 23 October 2026.
Gupta posted on X: 'A golden triumph for Bharat!' — saluting the pair's 'remarkable teamwork, determination and sporting excellence' that, in her words, 'have made the nation proud.' The message, tagged #Cheer4Bharat and #AsianParaGames2026, channelled the national mood around a result that adds lustre to India's para-sport portfolio.
Joshi and Thulasimathi: two careers, one golden moment
Manasi Joshi is one of India's most recognised para-badminton faces, a player who has carried the tricolour across multiple editions of the Asian Para Games and onto the global stage. Thulasimathi Murugesan has emerged as a formidable force in the SL3-SU5 category, combining agility and precision that the doubles format rewards. Together, their partnership produced the gold India hoped for.
The Asian Para Games is the continent's premier multi-sport event for para athletes, organised every four years under the Asian Paralympic Council. A gold here carries real weight — it places athletes in the conversation for national honours and shapes the trajectory of India's para-badminton programme heading into the next Paralympic cycle.
India's growing investment in para sport
The congratulatory post fits a broader pattern: successive administrations have steadily deepened institutional support for para athletes, from dedicated training camps to federation-level funding. Public affirmations by senior political figures — Chief Ministers, Union Ministers — amplify para sport's visibility in a media landscape that has historically given it less column space than its Olympic counterpart.
Every gold at the Asian Para Games is a signal to the next generation of para athletes that the pathway from grassroots training to a continental podium is real — and that the country is watching.
Point of View
Enhanced training budgets, and Paralympic selection pathways. The broader arc points toward India positioning para sport not as an afterthought to Olympic ambition but as a parallel stream of national pride.
NationPress
23 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won gold in Women's Doubles para badminton at the Asian Para Games 2026?
Thulasimathi Murugesan and Manasi Joshi won gold in the Women's Doubles SL3-SU5 Badminton event at the Asian Para Games 2026.
What is the Asian Para Games?
The Asian Para Games is a major multi-sport event for para athletes from across Asia, held every four years under the Asian Paralympic Council.
Who is Manasi Joshi?
Manasi Joshi is an Indian para-badminton player who has represented India at multiple international competitions, including previous editions of the Asian Para Games.
What did Delhi CM Rekha Gupta say about the gold medal?
CM Rekha Gupta called it 'a golden triumph for Bharat' and praised the duo's 'remarkable teamwork, determination and sporting excellence,' saying they have 'made the nation proud.'
What category did India win gold in at the Asian Para Games 2026 badminton?
India won gold in the Women's Doubles SL3-SU5 Badminton category at the Asian Para Games 2026.
