India secures double podium in para-athletics at Asian Para Games 2026, debutant Soumya wins gold in women’s 1500m T12/T13 with personal best 5:12.39, Radha Venkatesh claims silver.
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India secures double podium in women’s 1500m at Asian Para Games 2026(Photo: X)
India enjoyed a memorable double podium finish in para-athletics at the Asian Para Games 2026 on Monday, October 19, as debutant Soumya won gold in the women’s 1500m T12/T13 event, while compatriot Radha Venkatesh claimed silverSoumya clocked a personal-best time of 5 minutes and 12.39 seconds to finish first, while Radha crossed the line in 5:30.90Japan’s Mana Sasaki secured the bronze medal.
Soumya ran alongside her guide, Kumar Bharath, while Radha was guide by Govind SolankiThe event is for athletes with visual impairments, with runners competing in different classifications based on their level of visionSoumya’s gold marked an important achievement on her Asian Para Games debut, while Radha added another medal to her career at the continental event.
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Who is Soumya?
Soumya is an Indian para-athlete from Chamarajanagar district in Karnataka who competes in the women’s 1500m T12 categoryShe trains at the Indian Athletic Academy under coach Roshan Agni Shreedhar BachchanIn the final, she showed her progress in para-athletics as she recorded a personal best timing to win the gold medal.
Her victory has thrown the spotlight on the burgeoning pool of para-athletics talent from KarnatakaWinning gold on her debut at the Asian Para Games is a significant step in her sporting career.
Who is Radha Venkatesh?
Radha Venkatesh, who took silver behind Soumya, is an experienced Indian para-athlete from Bommasamudra village in the Challakere taluk of Karnataka’s Chitradurga districtBorn on May 2, 1999, she was raised in a farming family and studied at the Ashakirana School for the Blind in Chikkamagaluru before completing her graduation in BengaluruHer talent was identified by Sports Authority of India coach Rahul Balakrishna at a national competitionHe brought her to Bengaluru in 2017 to train professionally.
Radha went on to make history at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, becoming the first Indian woman to win two medals at a single edition of the eventShe won gold in the women’s 1500m T13 race and was later felicitated by Prime Minister Narendra ModiAt the 2022 Asian Para Games, she also finished first in the 1500m, though the event was held as a non-medal competition because of the limited number of participants.
Understanding the T12 and T13 categories
The T11, T12 and T13 classifications are used for track athletes with visual impairmentsT11 is for athletes with the most severe visual impairment, while T13 is for athletes with less severe impairmentT12 falls between the two categoriesThe guides help the athletes stay on the track if they need help, so the coordination between the runners and their guides is an important part of the race.
