World Para Athletics Championships: At the World Para Athletics Championships in Japan, Deepthi Jeevanji, a Telangana native and the daughter of daily wage workers, won gold in the women’s 400-meter T20 race with a pace that set a world record of 55.07 seconds.
In short
- Gold is won by Deepthi Jeevanji at the World Para Athletics Championships.
- smashes the previous 400-meter T20 world record for women.
- overcomes adversity financially to achieve the highest level of accomplishment
In an inspiring achievement, Deepthi Jeevanji, the daughter of daily-wage laborers from Warangal, Telangana, won the gold medal with a world record time of 55.07 seconds in the women’s 400 meters T20 category race at the World Para Athletics Championships in Japan.
Deepthi surpassed the previous record of 55.12 sec set by Breanna Clark of the US at the World Championships in Paris in 2023.
The 20-year-old’s accomplishment is remarkable as, despite originating from a low-income background, she battled against all odds to do it. Jeevanji was so poor a few years ago that he could not even afford to take a bus to Hyderabad for training.
Deepthi Jeevanji began the race impressively, taking the lead in the initial 200 meters. Despite Clark narrowing the gap towards the finish, Deepthi surged ahead in the last five meters to clinch the victory. Following closely behind, Turkey’s Aysel Onder secured second place with a time of 55.19 seconds, while Ecuador’s Lizanshela Angulo claimed third position with a time of 56.68 seconds.
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For athletes with intellectual disability, there is a T20 classification.
Another organization that helped Deepthi in her sporting endeavors was the Gopichand-Mytrah Foundation, which is coach Pullela Gopichand‘s athletic talent search initiative. Over the past few years, she has won multiple medals at the national level.