Sprinter Deepthi Jeevanji won a Bronze medal for India in the Women's 400m T20 event at the Paris Paralympics 2024 on September 3. The 20-year-old made history as the youngest Indian woman to win a Paralympic medal in athletics. Jeevanji clocked 55.82 seconds, finishing strong behind Ukraine's Yulia Shuliar, who clocked 55.16 seconds to win Gold and Turkey's Aysel Onder who clocked 55.23 seconds and won the Silver medal.
Deepthi Jeevanji: From Battling Discrimination To Winning Laurels
Deepthi Jeevanji is a native of Kalleda village in the Warangal district of Telangana. According to The Indian Express, she was born with an intellectual disability-- a cognitive disease affecting communication as well as adaptive skills. Her father Jeevanji Yadhagiri, a truck cleaner, and mother Jeevanji Dhanalaxmi, recalled that she faced discrimination growing up.
“Her head was very small at birth, with the lips and nose being a bit unusual. Every villager who saw her and some of our relatives would call Deepthi 'mental' and 'monkey' and tell us to send her to an orphanage," her mother told the outlet in an earlier interview. "Today, seeing her as the world champion in a far-off country proves that she is indeed a special girl."
Jeevanji was enrolled at the Rural Development Foundation (RDF) School in the village, where the PE teacher, Biyani Venkateshwarlu, noticed her exceptional running talent in the late 2000s. The coach urged the school’s owner Rammohan Rao to see her run on a track and support her training. She began competing against able-bodied athletes at the school level in 100m and 200m races.
Apart from her disability, Jeevanji also faced many financial hardships. When her grandfather passed away, her family had to sell their farm to make ends meet. Her father would earn ₹100 or ₹150 a day. However, they supported her passion and talent for athletics. According to her mother, they could not afford to miss a single day of work, even on special occasions when she brought home medals.
"That's my bread and butter and the whole day I was thinking about Deepthi winning a medal in Paris and would tell the driver Elfer about calling other friends and their families to celebrate Deepthi's medal. She has always given us joy and this medal will also mean a lot to her," her father told Indian Express.
Jeevanji's journey to the Paralympic podium was nothing short of inspirational. Before her historic triumph, she exhibited exceptional form at numerous events including the World Championships. The T20 category, in which she competed, is designed for athletes with intellectual impairments. It provides a platform for individuals to showcase their athletic prowess and compete at the highest level, which goes beyond barriers and challenges stereotypes.
Deepthi's gold medal at the World Para Athletics Championships 2024
Jeevanji made history by clinching India’s first gold medal at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, in May 2024. The spotlight shone brightly on her as she conquered the event with unparalleled prowess, setting a new world record with a breathtaking time of 55.07 seconds.
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