Deepthi Jeevanji made history at the Paris 2024 Paralympics by becoming the first intellectually impaired Indian athlete to win a Paralympic medal. The 20-year-old para-athlete clinched bronze in the women’s 400m T20 class with a time of 55.82 seconds, finishing behind Ukraine’s Yulia Shuliar (55.16s) and Turkiye’s Ayser Onder (55.23s).
After the race, Deepthi expressed her emotions, saying, “I felt very tired during the race. The time difference from India affected my body.” Competing in the T20 class, reserved for athletes with intellectual impairments, Deepthi’s journey to the Paralympics has been truly extraordinary. She has faced cognitive challenges that affect her communication and understanding skills, yet she has persevered to reach the pinnacle of para-sport.
Born in a small village in Telangana, Deepthi encountered significant challenges early in life. Villagers urged her parents to abandon her due to her features, but they stood by her despite financial hardships. Her talent was discovered by coach N. Ramesh when she was 15, and since then, she has shown relentless progress. She is the reigning Para World Champion and won gold at the 2023 Asian Para Games.
Deepthi’s medal marked India’s 16th at the Paris 2024 Paralympics and the sixth in athletics. Additionally, other notable Indian performances included Sumit Antil’s gold in men’s javelin F64, Nishad Kumar’s silver in men’s high jump T47, Yogesh Kathuniya’s silver in men’s discus F56, and Preethi Pal’s bronze in the women’s T35 100m and 200m events.
Leave a Reply