Deepthi Jeevanji, the daughter of daily wage workers from Kalleda in Warangal, achieved an extraordinary feat at the World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, on Monday.
Despite financial hardships that once prevented her from affording a bus ticket to Hyderabad for training, Deepthi clinched gold in the women’s 400-meter T20 event with a record-breaking time of 55.07 seconds. This performance surpassed the previous record of 55.12 seconds set by American Breanna Clark at the 2023 World Championships in Paris.
Starting strong, Deepthi led the first 200 meters of the race and maintained her pace, executing a powerful final push in the last five meters to secure her victory. Aysel Onder of Turkey finished second with a time of 55.19 seconds, and Lizanshela Angulo of Ecuador took third place with 56.68 seconds. The T20 category includes athletes with intellectual disabilities.
Deepthi’s success is attributed in part to the Gopichand-Mytrah Foundation, an athletic talent search program led by coach Pullela Gopichand. Their support has been instrumental in her development and rise to international prominence.
