Indian sprinter Deepthi Jeevanji added to India’s Paralympic medal tally with a bronze in the women’s 400m (T20) event. The 20-year-old clocked 55.82 seconds, finishing behind Ukraine’s Yuliia Shuliar and Turkey’s Aysel Onder. This brings India’s total medal count to 16, with track-and-field contributing six.
Jeevanji’s journey to the Paralympics has been marked by challenges. Diagnosed with intellectual impairment, she faced taunts from her village. However, her determination and support from her coach, Nagpuri Ramesh, and national badminton coach Pullela Gopichand, helped her overcome these obstacles.
Meanwhile, ace shooter Avani Lekhara narrowly missed out on a second medal, finishing fifth in the women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 competition. The 22-year-old, who won gold in the 10m air rifle event, shot a total of 420.6 across the three stages. Germany’s Natascha Hiltrop won the gold with a total of 456.5.
In other events, Bhagyashri Jadhav finished fifth in the women’s shot put (F34), while archer Pooja Jatyan reached the quarterfinals of the recurve women’s open archery competition before losing to China’s Wu Chunyan.
India’s Paralympic campaign has been a mix of success and disappointment. While the country has secured 16 medals, including three golds, there have also been some near misses. However, the athletes’ determination and resilience have been inspiring, and they continue to strive for excellence on the world stage.
