Mandaviya hails Tejalben Damor's Silver in 400m T12 at Asian Para Games
Synopsis
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated Tejalben Damor on winning silver in the Women's 400m T12 at the Asian Para Games 2026, with a standout finish of 57.60 seconds, adding to India's growing para-sports momentum since the record 111-medal haul at Hangzhou 2023.
Key Takeaways
Tejalben Damor won silver in the Women's 400 metres T12 at the Asian Para Games 2026 .
Her winning time was a strong 57.60 seconds , described by Minister Mandaviya as a 'fantastic' finish.
The T12 category is for athletes with visual impairment who retain some residual light perception.
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya publicly congratulated Damor on October 22, 2026 .
India recorded a historic 111 medals at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou , prompting expanded government support for para-athletes.
The Sports Ministry has consistently used public recognition of para-sport medals as part of a broader effort to raise the profile of athletes with disabilities.
A 57.60-second finish. A silver medal. And a moment that belongs to Tejalben Damor — India's latest para-athletics heroine at the Asian Para Games 2026. Union Labour and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya took to X on Thursday, October 22 to extend his congratulations to Damor for her performance in the Women's 400 metres T12 event, celebrating what he called a 'fantastic' effort under the hashtag #Cheer4Bharat.
Damor's 57.60s — what the T12 category means
The T12 classification covers athletes with visual impairment who retain some residual light perception, making every stride on the track a test of both physical conditioning and spatial trust. Running 400 metres in under 58 seconds in this category is a performance of genuine athletic distinction. Damor's silver adds her name to the growing list of Indian para-athletes who have announced themselves on Asia's biggest multi-disability stage.
India's para-sports surge since Hangzhou 2023
The result lands against a backdrop of real momentum. At the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, India registered a historic 111-medal haul — a performance that prompted the Sports Ministry to expand support structures for para-athlete training and preparation. The government's incremental push to weave para-sports into national programmes and increase ministry budgets has been visible over the past decade, and individual podium finishes like Damor's are the most public proof of that architecture working.
Minister Mandaviya's public congratulations are part of a deliberate visibility strategy — ensuring that para-sport results receive the same prime-time recognition as their able-bodied counterparts. It is a messaging choice, but it also carries policy weight: sustained public acknowledgement from the Sports Ministry signals institutional seriousness to selectors, coaches, and the next generation of para-athletes watching from state academies.
What Tejalben Damor's silver signals for India's 2026 campaign
With the Asian Para Games 2026 still in progress, Damor's silver is an early marker of India's competitive intent. The Athletics track has historically been one of India's stronger disciplines at the Games, and a sub-58-second 400 metres from a T12 athlete sustains that reputation. Eyes will now turn to India's overall medal tally as the Games continue — and to any follow-up announcements from the Sports Ministry on funding or training infrastructure that such results routinely accelerate.
For Tejalben Damor, a silver at a continental Games is the kind of landmark that rewrites a career. India's para-athletics pipeline just got a little brighter.
Point of View
The Sports Ministry has been under quiet pressure to demonstrate that government investment in para-athlete infrastructure is producing durable results, not one-off outliers. A sub-58-second T12 400 metres at a continental Games is exactly the kind of evidence that strengthens the case for sustained funding. The broader arc here is India's gradual shift from treating para-sports as a welfare cause to treating it as a competitive programme — and individual medallists like Damor are the public face of that transition.
NationPress
22 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Tejalben Damor?
Tejalben Damor is an Indian para-athlete competing in the T12 visual impairment category, who won a silver medal in the Women's 400 metres T12 event at the Asian Para Games 2026 with a time of 57.60 seconds.
What is the T12 classification in para-athletics?
The T12 classification covers athletes with visual impairment who retain some residual light perception. Competitors in this category typically race with a guide runner on the track.
What did Mansukh Mandaviya say about Tejalben Damor?
Union Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya congratulated Tejalben Damor on X, calling her 57.60-second silver-medal finish in the Women's 400m T12 at the Asian Para Games 2026 a 'fantastic' performance.
How did India perform at the 2023 Asian Para Games?
India recorded a historic 111 medals at the 2023 Asian Para Games held in Hangzhou, China — a result that prompted the Sports Ministry to expand support and training infrastructure for para-athletes.
Where are the Asian Para Games 2026 being held?
The host city for the Asian Para Games 2026 has not been specified in available information, but the Games are a quadrennial multi-sport event for athletes with disabilities across Asia, held in the same year as the Asian Games.
