Mandaviya hails India's double podium in Women's 1500m T12/13
Synopsis
India claimed a double podium in the Women's 1500m T12/13 at the Asian Para Games 2026, with Soumya winning gold in a personal best 5:12.39 and Radha Venkatesh taking silver in 5:30.90, as Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya celebrated the feat.
Key Takeaways
Soumya won gold in the Women's 1500m T12/13 at the Asian Para Games 2026 with a personal-best time of 5:12.39 .
Radha Venkatesh claimed silver in the same event, finishing in 5:30.90 .
India secured a clean double podium — gold and silver — in a single para-athletics final.
Union Minister Mansukh Mandaviya celebrated the result on October 19, 2026 via X.
India won 111 medals at the previous edition of the Asian Para Games in Hangzhou (2023) , reflecting a sustained upward trend.
India's final medal tally at the Asian Para Games 2026 is still being compiled as events continue.
Gold and silver, back to back — India swept the podium in the Women's 1500m T12/13 at the Asian Para Games 2026, and Union Labour and Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya made sure the nation heard about it on Monday, October 19. Another double podium for Bharat, and every second of it was earned on the track.
Soumya's personal best powers India to gold
Soumya crossed the finish line in a personal-best time of 5:12.39, claiming the gold medal and announcing herself as one of the sharpest middle-distance para-athletes on the continent. A personal best in a championship final is rare — it means the pressure did not slow her down, it made her faster.
Radha Venkatesh followed with a time of 5:30.90, securing silver and completing India's clean sweep of the top two places. Two Indian women on the podium, flags raised in the same ceremony — exactly the kind of moment the hashtag #Cheer4Bharat was made for.
A pattern India is building, not borrowing
This double podium is not an isolated flash. At the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, India returned with 111 medals — a benchmark that signalled a structural shift in Indian para-sport, not a lucky run. Successive governments have invested in dedicated coaching pipelines, adapted infrastructure, and sustained international exposure for athletes with disabilities, and the results are compounding.
Minister Mandaviya's post, which carried the message 'The entire nation is proud!', reflects an official posture that has become increasingly visible: para-athletics is no longer an afterthought in India's sporting ambitions — it is a headline act. With events still ongoing at the Asian Para Games 2026, India's final medal tally is one to watch.
Point of View
Built steadily since the 2010s. Minister Mandaviya's enthusiastic public amplification of the result signals that the ruling establishment now treats para-sport visibility as a political and soft-power asset, not just a welfare gesture. The back-to-back medalling trend — culminating in the 111-medal haul at Hangzhou 2023 — gives India genuine grounds to project itself as a rising para-sport power in Asia. The real test will be whether the momentum translates into sustained infrastructure investment after the Games end.
NationPress
19 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won gold for India in Women's 1500m T12/13 at Asian Para Games 2026?
Soumya won the gold medal, clocking a personal best of 5:12.39 in the Women's 1500m T12/13 event at the Asian Para Games 2026.
What did Radha Venkatesh achieve at Asian Para Games 2026?
Radha Venkatesh won the silver medal in the Women's 1500m T12/13 event at the Asian Para Games 2026, finishing in a time of 5:30.90.
What is the T12/13 classification in para-athletics?
T12/13 is a para-athletics classification for visually impaired athletes; T12 denotes athletes with some residual vision and T13 those with a greater degree of vision.
How many medals did India win at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou?
India won 111 medals at the 2023 Asian Para Games held in Hangzhou, China — a landmark haul that marked a significant rise in Indian para-sport performance.
What did Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya say about the double podium?
Minister Mandaviya posted on X calling it 'another double podium for Bharat,' congratulating both athletes and stating that 'the entire nation is proud.'
