In an inspiring achievement, Deepthi Jeevanji, a daughter of daily-wage labourers from Telangana’s Warangal, bagged the gold medal with a world record time of 55.07 seconds in the women’s 400m T20 category race at the World Para Athletics Championships in Japan.
Deepthi broke the previous record of 55.12 seconds set by Breanna Clark of the US at the World Championships in Paris in 2023.
The 20-year-old’s achievement stands out as exceptional, as she fought against all odds to achieve this feat, coming from an underprivileged family. Just a few years ago, Jeevanji couldn’t even afford a bus ticket to Hyderabad for training.
Deepthi Jeevanji started the race strong and led the first 200 meters. Though Clark closed in towards the end, Deepthi made a final push in the last five meters to secure victory. Turkey’s Aysel Onder came in second with 55.19 seconds, and Ecuador’s Lizanshela Angulo finished third with 56.68 seconds.
The T20 classification is for athletes with intellectual disabilities.
Deepthi’s athletic journey was also supported by the Gopichand-Mytrah Foundation, an athletics talent search program run by coach Pullela Gopichand. She has won several national-level medals in the past few years.
Source Agencies
