Kobe: Deepthi Jeevanji, hailing from Warangal in Telangana, secured the gold medal and set a new world record with a time of 55.07 seconds in the women’s 400m T20 category race at the World Para Athletics Championships held on Monday.
The Para Asian Games gold medalist, Deepthi, surpassed the previous world record of 55.12 seconds set by American Breanna Clark during last year’s championships in Paris. Aysel Onder from Turkey finished second with a time of 55.19 seconds, followed by Lizanshela Angulo from Ecuador in third place with 56.68 seconds on the fourth day of competition.
The 20-year-old athlete had qualified for the final by setting an Asian record of 56.18 seconds in her heat race the previous day.
Born to daily wage laborers in Kalleda village, Warangal district, Deepthi had earlier won the 400m T20 gold at the Hangzhou Asian Games with an Asian record of 56.69 seconds.
Deepthi Jeevanji, overcoming financial challenges that once made it difficult for her to afford a bus ticket to Hyderabad for training, has now achieved remarkable success by breaking the world record in the women’s 400 meters T20 category.
She clinched the gold medal with a time of 55.07 seconds, surpassing the previous record set by Breanna Clark of the US.
Deepthi led the race strongly, maintaining her position in the first 200 meters, and despite a challenge from Clark towards the end, she secured victory with a final burst in the last 5 meters. This victory highlights her incredible journey from financial constraints to sporting excellence.
Interestingly, Deepthi has competed alongside able-bodied athletes in both junior and senior championships, earning medals at the junior level while competing against able-bodied athletes.
Her recent participation in the 2022 National Inter-State Championships in Chennai saw her compete in the 100m and 200m events among able-bodied athletes. Previously, she also competed in the 2021 National Senior Inter-State Championships in Patiala, where she won a bronze in the 200m event.
She had earlier won a bronze in the 200m event at the 2019 Asian U18 Championships (able-bodied) with a time of 24.78 seconds.
Following her success, Yogesh Kathuniya secured a silver medal in the men’s F56 category discus throw with a throw of 41.80 meters.
The F56 category is designated for athletes who compete in seated field events, encompassing athletes with amputations and spinal cord injuries.
Later in the day, Bhagyashri Mahavrao Jadhav claimed a silver medal in the women’s shot put F34 category with a throw of 7.56 meters.
The F34 category is for field athletes whose trunk and arm movements are slightly affected, while their legs are significantly affected.
India’s medal count now stands at five — 1 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze.
On Sunday, Nishad Kumar (T47 high jump) and Preethi Pal (T35 200m race) secured a silver and a bronze medal respectively.
The championships are scheduled to continue until May 25.
