The 20-year-old, making her debut at the Paralympic Games, finished with a time of 55.82 seconds, securing a podium spot. She followed behind Yuliia Shuliar of Ukraine, who clocked 55.16 seconds, and Aysel Onder of Turkey, the world record holder, who finished in 55.23 seconds.
Deepthi, aged 21, displayed an impressive performance, recording 55.82 seconds in the final, trailing her competitors from Ukraine and Turkey.
Deepthi Jeevanji’s journey:
Deepthi hails from Kalleda village in Telangana’s Warangal district. From an early age, she showed an interest in athletics, overcoming her intellectual impairment to excel on the global stage.
At 15, she was discovered by Sports Authority of India (SAI) coach N Ramesh during a state-level athletics meet, who then took her under his mentorship.
Her para-athletics career began with a bronze medal at the Asian Youth Championships in Hong Kong in 2019. The following year, she claimed gold in both the 100m and 200m categories at the Khelo India Youth Games.
Deepthi made a significant impact at the Asian Para Games last year, where she broke the Games and Asian records by winning gold in the 400m T20 classification final with a world record time of 55.07 seconds.
As the daughter of farm laborers from Kalleda Village in Telangana, Jeevanji was diagnosed with intellectual impairment after being noticed by a teacher during a school athletics meet.
Despite facing taunts from villagers due to her disability, her community now celebrates her accomplishments, especially after her gold medal at the Asian Para Games and breaking the world record at the Para World Championships earlier this year.
The T20 category is designated for athletes with intellectual impairments.
Deepthi Jeevanji’s Achievements:
- Asian Para Games (2022): Gold medal (Games Record, Asian Record)
- World Championship (2024): Gold Medal (World Record)