Who is Deepthi Jeevanji? Para-athletics golden girl shines again in Nagoya

Deepthi Jeevanji continued her impressive rise in para-athletics with gold in the women's 400m T20 at the 2026 Asian Para Games. After setting a record in the heats, the Telangana runner went faster in the final to claim the title in a Games-record 56.36 seconds.Deepthi Jeevanji struck gold again, smashing a Games record to reign supreme in Nagoya (Photo: PTI)Nagoya,Oct 20, 2026 10:06 ISTDeepthi Jeevanji did not settle for a record in the heats. The Indian runner returned to the track in Nagoya on Tuesday and went faster when it mattered, clocking 56.36 seconds to win the women's 400m T20 gold at the 2026 Asian Para Games. The 23-year-old from Telangana also set a new Games record.Jeevanji had clocked 57.57 seconds in the heats, setting an Asian Para Games record before improving by more than a second in the final. Japan's Niina Kanno finished second in 58.92 seconds, while compatriot Akane Kato took bronze in 1:00.26. Jeevanji's gold was India's first of the day and fifth overall at the Games.ASIAN PARA GAMES 2026, OCTOBER 20: UPDATESThe win adds to the growing list of achievements for an athlete who has risen quickly through international para athletics. She won the 400m T20 title at the 2023 Asian Para Games, became a world champion in 2024 and claimed bronze at the Paris Paralympics that year. HOW DID DEEPTHI JEEVANJI RISE THROUGH THE RANKS?Jeevanji's journey began when she was 15. Sports Authority of India coach N Ramesh spotted her at a state-level athletics meet in Telangana and began training her. She won bronze at the 2019 Asian Youth Championships in Hong Kong before collecting two gold medals, in the 100m and 200m, at the 2020 Khelo India Youth Games.Her breakthrough on the senior international stage came at the 2023 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou, where she won the 400m T20 gold with Games and Asian records. She followed that with gold at the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe, Japan, clocking 55.07 seconds in a world-record performance at the time. Later that year, she won bronze in the 400m T20 at the Paris Paralympics, becoming the first Indian athlete with an intellectual impairment to win a Paralympic medal. Those performances established her among India's leading para-athletes and set the stage for her return to the Asian Para Games in Nagoya.The heats offered an early indication of Jeevanji's form, but she was even quicker in the final. Her 56.36-second finish put clear distance between her and Kanno, who crossed the line more than two seconds later.The T20 classification is for athletes with intellectual impairments, which can affect information processing, concentration and the execution of race plans. In the 400m, runners must balance speed with the effort needed to sustain it over a full lap. Jeevanji's improvement from the heats to the final helped her secure the title and set a new Games record.- Ends