.jpg?w=480&auto=format%2Ccompress&fit=max)
HYDERABAD: Deepthi Jeevanji, who won a bronze medal in the 400-metre T20 race in the Paris Paralympics 2024, received a grand welcome at Hyderabad International Airport on Friday.
She completed the race in 55.82 seconds and became the first Telugu person to win a medal in the Olympics. Notably, this is the first time the country has secured a medal in this category.
Born in a poor family in Kalleda village in Parvathagiri mandal of Warangal district, Deepthi was certified under the mentally impaired category. When she was studying ninth class her physical education teacher spotted the talent in her and encouraged her towards sports.
Later, noted player Pullela Gopichand encouraged Deepthi to test her skills at the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disability.
Her parents, Yadagiri and Dhanalakshi, said other children mocked Deepthi by calling her ‘mental’ and mocking her as a ‘monkey’ during her school days. Some people even suggested her parents send her to an orphanage as she was born during the solar eclipse, which is considered unfortunate by some. Due to this adverse situation, Deepthi did not mingle with other children freely. Knowing her plight, the Kalleda RDF school management gave her a free seat. The management gave initial coaching and encouraged her to participate in district and state-level competitions.
With encouragement from the school management, she won several medals and her parents sold away their one-acre land and provided necessary financial support to Deepthi. It is important to note that the special sportsperson also won a gold medal in the 200-metre race in the World Para Athletics Grand Prix Morocco in 2022.
She also won gold medals in 200 and 400 metres in Brisbane games in the same year. In 2023, she made a world record in the 400-metre Para Asia games by completing the race in 56.69 seconds.