WION Exclusive | Para-athlete and lawyer Penav Mota gears up for Mumbai Marathon 2026, says 'his training is...'

Advocate Penav Mota, a 100 per cent visually impaired para-athlete and practising criminal lawyer, is set to take on the full marathon at the Mumbai Marathon 2026. The race marks another important step in his steady and result-driven journey in endurance sports. Over the years, Penav has built an impressive record in running and cycling. He has completed more than 23 half marathons and two full marathons, and in 2024, he also competed in the 25K race at the Steel World 25K Kolkata. These events highlight his growing experience at major marathon platforms. Currently preparing for the Mumbai Marathon, Penav spoke to WION’s Aditya Bhatia about his journey in para-sports and the challenges he has overcome along the way.

Questions

You lost your eyesight at the age of 15. How did you find the motivation to pursue a career in sports after that, and what challenges did you face along the way?

Penav’s love for sports started early, but his journey was far from easy. Due to his visual impairment, his parents were initially hesitant to let him play outdoor games.

“I loved sports, but because of my poor vision, I wasn’t allowed to play games like cricket. There was always a fear that I might get hurt,” Penav said. “So my parents encouraged me to play chess instead, since it was an indoor sport.”

He went on to play chess for several years and even represented his college. However, after losing his vision completely, continuing with the game became too challenging.

“Chess is very difficult for someone who is totally blind. After a point, I had no option but to stop,” he explained.

When asked who supported him the most during those early days, Penav credited two people.

“First were my parents. They supported me from the beginning and still do, sometimes even coming with me early in the morning when I have training,” he said.

“The second big support came from my guide runners. They introduced me to running and continue to help me, especially since different guide runners are available at different times," he added.

You are a criminal lawyer by profession and also a sports athlete. How do you manage your work and your training together?

Penav is also a criminal lawyer by profession. He completed his LLB in 2021 and later finished his LLM in criminal law. When asked how he manages his work and training together, he said, “I have fixed timings. From 5 am to 8 am, my time is only for training,” he said. “After that, till around 5.30 or 6 in the evening, I focus on court work and litigation. In the evening, I also train in swimming, as I am into cycling and swimming as well. By 8.30 pm, my day usually comes to an end.”

Mumbai Marathon is coming up and you are running the full marathon. How is your training going, and how are you preparing for the event?

With the Mumbai Marathon approaching, Penav says his training is going well. For the first time, Penav has received sponsorship support for his registration and training, which he says has made a big difference.

“This will be my third full marathon. I already have experience with 23 half marathons and two full marathons,” he said. “I am also training under the guidance of my guide runners.”

What are your future goals after the Mumbai Marathon?

My future goals is to do my first Olympic triathlon next month of February in 2026, to do half and full Iron Man in coming years, to go to international level in cycling in Asian para games, to go into world major marathons and do all the world major marathons series, to do Comrades marathon in 2027.

Beyond personal goals, Penav is equally focused to help younger kids and current deserving blind athletes in the form of training for other Blind sports events, taking them to several Blind sports tournaments with the Help of my own Foundation called Penav Mota Foundation formed in the year 2024.