India’s gold medal rush at the Asian Para Games 2026 continued on Tuesday as Deepthi Jeevanji finished atop the podium in the women’s 400m T20 event after clocking a Games record time of 56.36s in Aichi-Nagoya. The 23-year-old from Telangana is a two-time Para World Championships medallist, having won the gold in 2024. She is also a Paralympic bronze winner in the same event.
On Tuesday, Japan’s Niina Kanno (58.92sec) won the silver and her compatriot Akane Kato (1:00.26sec) took bronze. The T20 classification covers athletes with intellectual impairments. Athletes in this category experience challenges with processing information, concentration, and executing race plans or tactical strategies.
Born in 2023 with intellectual impairment in Warangal, Telangana, had to face several hurdles due to her condition. However, she has proved her mettle on the international stage and made a remarkable impact on the world of para athletics.
Jeevanji was first spotted at the age of 15 by N Ramesh, a coach from the Sports Authority of India (SAI), during a state-level athletics meet. Recognizing her potential, Ramesh took Jeevanji under his wing and began training her.
Jeevanji’s journey in para athletics began with her participation in the Asian Youth Championships held in Hong Kong in 2019, where she won a bronze medal. Despite her intellectual impairment, which makes it difficult for her to express her feelings like other girls of her age, remained determined to excel in her sport.
She continued to train diligently and participated in various events organized by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) between 2019 and 2022. Her hard work paid off when she won a gold medal in both the 100m and 200m events at the 2020 in Guwahati.
success continued at the National Junior and Youth Championships, where she won multiple medals. Her achievements earned her the status of a Khelo India Athlete. Jeevanji’s most significant achievement came at the 2023, where she created history by breaking the Games Record and Asian Record followed by a World Record of 55.07s registered at World Championship 2024.
Her exceptional performance earned her a gold medal, cementing her place as a rising star in the world of para athletics.
