Nagoya, 19 October (H.S.): Indian para-athletes continued their impressive run at the 2026 Asian Para Games, with Soumya and Radha Venkatesh delivering a double podium finish in the women’s 1,500-metre T12/T13 event. Soumya clinched gold with a personal-best performance on her debut at the Games, while experienced runner Radha Venkatesh finished second to claim silver.

Representing Karnataka, Soumya, who hails from Chamarajanagar district, completed the race in 5 minutes 12.39 seconds alongside her guide, Bharat Kumar. She secured 621 points to win the gold medal. Radha Venkatesh, running with her guide, Govind Solanki, clocked 5 minutes 30.90 seconds and earned 421 points to take silver.

Japan’s Mana Sasaki won the bronze medal with 336 points. She recorded a time of 5 minutes 12.15 seconds, which was faster than Soumya’s time. However, under the points-based classification system, she finished behind the Indian athletes.

Soumya Makes History on Her Debut

The achievement is particularly significant for Soumya, who won gold on her first appearance at the Asian Para Games. Competing in the T12 category for athletes with visual impairments, she trains at the Indian Athletic Academy under the guidance of coach Roshan Agni Sridhar Bachchan.

Soumya had already demonstrated her potential on the international stage. She won gold at the 2025 Asian Youth Para Games and followed it up with gold medals at the New Delhi Grand Prix and the Indian Open in 2026. Her latest achievement has brought further recognition to Karnataka’s emerging talent in Indian para-athletics.

Radha Venkatesh Adds to Her International Achievements

Radha Venkatesh demonstrated her international experience by securing the silver medal. Hailing from Bommasamudra village in Karnataka’s Chitradurga district, she has previously won several medals at the Asian Para Games.

At the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta, Radha made history by winning gold and bronze medals in the women’s 1,500-metre event. She became the first Indian woman to win two medals in a single edition of the Games. Her achievement was also praised by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Radha went on to win gold at the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou. However, the event was conducted as a non-medal event in that edition because of the limited number of participants. She has also won medals at the Indian Open, Sharjah Open and World Para Athletics Grand Prix.

Radha studied at Asha Kiran School in Chikkamagaluru, an institution that provides education for visually impaired students. In 2017, Rahul Balakrishna, a coach with the Sports Authority of India, recognised her talent during a national competition and invited her to Bengaluru for professional training. In recognition of her contribution to sports, the Karnataka government also appointed her to a position in the Labour Department.

Soumya and Radha’s achievements have strengthened India’s medal tally at the Asian Para Games. Their impressive performances have further highlighted the growing strength of Indian para-athletics on the international stage.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar