Nagoya: India’s medal tally kept rising at the Asian Para Games as Soumya, Radha Venaktesh and Rakshita Raju added more medals with stellar outings in para-athletics at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya, Japan, on Monday.
Soumya (with guide Bharath Kumar) clinched a gold in the Women’s 1500m T12/T13 final, while Radha (with guide Govind Solanki) won the silver in the same event. Soumya (T12 athlete) took the top prize with a time of 5:12.39s (621 Raza points), while Radha (T12 athlete) came second with a time of 5:30.90s (421 Raza points). Behind them, Japan’s Mana Sasaki (T13) won the bronze medal. Although Sasaki clocked 5:12.15s, she accumulated 336 Raza points and took the bronze.
The Raza point system is a mathematical way to compare and rank athletes with different disabilities on a fair and level playing field.
In a separate event- the Women’s 1500m T11 final- India’s Rakshita (with Guide Tabres Khan) won a bronze medal after finishing third with a time of 5:31.45. China’s He Shanshan (Guide Zheng Canran) won gold with a time of 4:41.19, while her compatriot Huang Zengli (Guide You Junjie) won silver with a time of 4:55.54.
Another Indian, Ravanni Valasanaini (Guide Rahul Balakrishna), was also in the field. However, she finished fourth with a time of 5:41.85 and missed out on a medal.
Soumya is a Karnataka-based athlete. Before the Asian Para Games, she won the gold medals in the Asian Youth Para Games (2025), New Delhi Grand Prix (2026), and the Indian Open (2026).
Radha is also a Karnataka-based athlete. She won the gold medal in the 2023 Asian Para Games too, and a silver and a bronze in the 2018 Asian Para Games.
Radha also has a gold and a silver at the Sharjah Open 2023, a bronze in the World Para Athletics Grand Prix, gold medals in the 4th and 5th Indian Opens, and two silver medals in the 7th and 8th Indian Opens.
–IANS–
