Rajnath Singh hails India's 1-2 finish in Women's 1500m at Asian Para Games 2026
Synopsis
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated Soumya Kumar and Radha Venkatesh on their gold and silver medals in the Women's 1500m T12/13 Final at the Asian Para Games 2026, calling India's one-two podium finish a proud moment for the nation's para-athletics contingent.
Key Takeaways
Soumya Kumar won gold and Radha Venkatesh won silver in the Women's 1500m T12/13 Final at the Asian Para Games 2026 .
India secured a clean one-two podium sweep in a single para-athletics event — a rare and significant continental result.
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh publicly congratulated both athletes on 19 October 2026 .
India's para contingent had already achieved its best-ever medal tally at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou.
The T12/13 classification covers athletes with significant visual impairment, making the national sweep a testament to India's para-sports depth and support infrastructure.
A gold and a silver, back to back, on the same track — India's para-athletics contingent delivered a stunning one-two finish in the Women's 1500m T12/13 Final at the Asian Para Games 2026, with Soumya Kumar claiming gold and Radha Venkatesh securing silver. Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh took to X on Monday, 19 October 2026, to personally congratulate both athletes on the landmark achievement.
Soumya and Radha's 1500m sweep — what it means
A one-two national finish in a single track event at a continental para-games is rare, and it sends a clear signal about the depth India is building in para-athletics. Soumya Kumar crossed the line first in the T12/13 category — a classification that includes athletes with significant visual impairment — while Radha Venkatesh finished just behind her, ensuring the top two spots on the podium flew the tricolour. Singh described the result as 'a proud achievement for the nation's para-athletics contingent.'
India's growing para-athletics ambition
The result lands against a backdrop of steady investment in para-sports. India's contingent recorded its best-ever medal tally at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, and the current campaign in 2026 appears set to push that bar higher. Successive governments have channelled increased funding through the Sports Ministry and the Paralympic Committee of India, with regional medals used to benchmark progress against Asia's best. Senior leaders across parties have consistently spotlighted these victories — and Singh's congratulations are part of that broader institutional acknowledgement.
What makes this finish especially significant is the category: T12/13 events demand not only elite athletic conditioning but extraordinary spatial awareness and trust between runner and guide. A national sweep in that context is as much a coaching and support-system story as it is an individual one.
With medal events still remaining on the Asian Para Games 2026 schedule, the Indian contingent has an opportunity to build on this momentum — and both Soumya and Radha, now continental medallists, enter the coming weeks with a very different kind of confidence behind them.
Point of View
Not just individual brilliance, suggesting India's Sports Ministry and Paralympic Committee investments are yielding competitive pipelines rather than isolated breakthroughs. For Singh, whose portfolio is defence rather than sports, the congratulatory post is also a soft-power signal: national pride in para-athletics transcends ministerial silos. The timing — mid-games, with more events to come — keeps India's para narrative alive in the news cycle.
NationPress
19 Oct 2026
Frequently Asked Questions
Who won gold and silver in Women's 1500m T12/13 at Asian Para Games 2026?
Soumya Kumar won gold and Radha Venkatesh won silver in the Women's 1500m T12/13 Final at the Asian Para Games 2026, giving India a one-two podium finish.
What is the T12/13 classification in para athletics?
The T12/13 classification is for athletes with significant visual impairment. T12 athletes have minimal light perception, while T13 athletes have some functional vision but below standard thresholds. Athletes in these categories often compete with a guide runner.
What did Rajnath Singh say about India's performance at the Asian Para Games 2026?
Rajnath Singh described India's one-two finish as 'a proud achievement for the nation's para-athletics contingent' and extended best wishes to both athletes for their future endeavours.
When did India have its best-ever Asian Para Games medal tally?
India's contingent recorded its best-ever medal tally at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou . The 2026 edition is being watched as a potential opportunity to surpass that benchmark.
What is the Asian Para Games?
The Asian Para Games is a regional multi-sport event for para-athletes held every four years under the Asian Paralympic Committee . It is Asia's premier multi-discipline para-sports competition, second globally only to the Paralympic Games.
