Deepthi Jeevanji: In race against fate to athletic stardom

Taunted by schoolmates and called ‘cruel’ names for being different, the 21-year-old is now Telangana’s pride after bagging a bronze medal at the Paris Paralympics
Paralympian Deepthi Jeevanji poses with her coach Ramesh Nagapuri, badminton coach Pullela Gopichand and RDF founder Ram Mohan after her recent win
Paralympian Deepthi Jeevanji poses with her coach Ramesh Nagapuri, badminton coach Pullela Gopichand and RDF founder Ram Mohan after her recent winPhoto | Express
Updated on
4 min read

In the era of Netflix, Amazon Prime and endless streams of digital entertainment, imagine someone who hasn’t experienced any of it for nearly eight years. Telangana’s latest pride, Deepthi Jeevanji, a 400-metre athlete from Warangal, has lived such a “limited version of life”. Deepthi, who faces cognitive challenges that impact her communication and understanding, is a champion in her own world—a world free from the usual distractions of modern life.

“For the past eight years, since she started training with me, I have noticed she never goes shopping, never watches movies and never indulges in any entertainment. She’s not like others her age. For her, it’s only training, eating, and resting. In fact, she’s barely been home in all these years,” her coach Ramesh Nagapuri from the Sports Authority of India (SAI) tells TNIE. “That’s what makes her a champion.”

Before setting her sights on the 2024 Summer Paralympics in Paris, the bronze medallist, who clocked an impressive 55.82 seconds, was training tirelessly at a private school in Hyderabad. She was fine-tuning her rhythm, adjusting to the time difference with the French capital. “For four straight weeks, I trained every Monday and Tuesday after 7 pm under floodlights because my event was scheduled at a similar time,” Deepthi tells TNIE.

Even after her race on September 3, the reigning Para World Champion and 2023 Asian Para Games gold medallist says, “I was exhausted during the race. My body wasn’t used to the time difference with India.” Reflecting further, she adds, “I wasn’t as well-prepared as I had been for the World Championships and the Asian Games.”

But if there’s one thing Deepthi refuses to let slip, it’s her determination. Her podium finish in Paris marks a milestone in Indian sports—she’s the first and only Indian athlete to win a medal in the women’s 400m (T20 category) and the first-ever Telugu person to win a Paralympic medal.

Beaming with pride, Deepthi, 21, sees her victory as more than personal glory. “This is not just my achievement — it’s for every differently-abled athlete in Telangana. They can do what I’ve done. If you have challenges, don’t worry. Just work hard. I believe para sports in Telangana will now get the recognition it deserves,” she says.

Deepthi sticks to her routine without complaint: Coach

Born into a family of daily wage workers in Kalleda village, Parvathagiri mandal, Deepthi’s journey is a tale of resilience. Her parents, Yadhagiri and Dhanalaxmi, struggled even to afford bus fare to send her to Hyderabad for training. Ramesh, who discovered her at a state meet in Khammam in 2019, stepped in to help. “When I saw her run, I knew she had potential. I convinced her parents to send her to Hyderabad for better training. We even had to track her location with the help of a bus conductor to make sure she arrived. A coach always travels with her for competitions,” recalls Ramesh.

To help Deepthi grasp race tactics, Ramesh developed an innovative method blowing a whistle at every 100-metre mark to guide her through the race one step at a time. “She has a calm mind, but her health isn’t always stable. Sometimes she feels anxious or scared, but she sticks to the routine without complaint,” he says.

Before Ramesh entered her life, Deepthi was a student at the Rural Development Foundation (RDF) school, where her physical education coach, Biyani Venkateshwaralu, enrolled her in 100m and 200m races.

But life wasn’t kind to her in those early days. Schoolmates taunted her with cruel names like pichi (mad) and kothi (monkey). Villagers and relatives suggested her family send her to an orphanage. Deepthi, born during a solar eclipse, was considered unlucky by some, and her unusual facial features small head, unusual lips and nose only added to the stigma. To support her dream, her parents sold half an acre of land at a loss. But in a turn of poetic justice, Deepthi reveals, “I bought it back with my Asian Games prize money. My parents are now farming paddy on that land again.”

Her story took another joyous turn when, on September 8, the state government announced a Rs 1 crore cash reward, a Group-1 job and a 500-square-yard house site in Warangal for Deepthi.

Ramesh, who has trained her since she was 14, is confident the bronze medal will reshape her identity in the eyes of those who once ridiculed her. “The same people who called her a mad girl will now call her an Olympic medallist.”

His joy is palpable, especially as more parents with children facing similar disabilities are now reaching out to him for guidance. “I tell them that these kids are divine beings, with special qualities that need nurturing, love and attention. Deepthi’s routine reflects this — every day after training, she makes sure to call her mother. If she misses a day, she immediately asks about it. It shows how deeply observant and sensitive she is,” the coach reflects.

Deepthi and Ramesh are also grateful to national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand and RDF founder Ram Mohan. Their belief in her potential turned a once-overlooked girl from a small village into an athlete who now stands on the global stage, he adds.

Related Stories

No stories found.

X
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com