India’s Deepthi Jeevanji defended her women’s 400m T20 gold medal at the Asian Para Games on Tuesday, setting a new Games record with a time of 56.36 seconds.
The 23-year-old Telangana athlete improved on her previous winning time of 56.59 seconds from 2022 by 0.23 seconds, reaffirming her dominance in the event.
Deepthi, a two-time Para World Championships medallist, won gold at the 2024 World Championships and secured bronze in the same event at the Paralympics.
Her journey in athletics began at the age of 15, when Sports Authority of India (SAI) coach N Ramesh spotted her talent during a state-level athletics meet. Recognising her potential, he began training her and helped her develop her abilities.
Deepthi made her international debut at the 2019 Asian Youth Championships in Hong Kong, where she won bronze. She continued competing in events organised by the Athletics Federation of India between 2019 and 2022.
Her achievements included gold medals in the 100m and 200m events at the 2020 Khelo India Youth Games in Guwahati. She subsequently collected multiple medals at the National Junior and Youth Championships, earning recognition as a Khelo India athlete.
Deepthi reached another milestone at the 2023 Asian Para Games, where she broke the Games and Asian records in the 400m T20 category.
She further elevated her standing in para athletics by setting a world record of 55.07 seconds at the 2024 World Championships. Her latest victory highlights her consistency and determination as she continues to establish herself among India’s leading para-athletes.
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