Hailing from the village of Kalleda in Warangal, Telangana, Deepthi Jeevanji’s athletic skills were first noticed by her physical education teacher, Biyani Venkateshwarulu, when she was in Class 9.

Born with an intellectual disability that affected her communication and adaptive skills, Deepthi (20) faced significant challenges growing up.

Villagers often called her cruel names like ‘pichi’ (crazy) and ‘kothi’ (monkey), but her parents stood by her as her pillars of support.

As daily wage labourers, her parents were advised to send her to an orphanage, as many believed she would never get married.

Despite these obstacles, Deepthi’s athletic talent shone through early on in school where she outpaced her peers in the 100m and 200m races.

Her journey into professional athletics began when coach Nagpuri Ramesh, who has also trained Dutee Chand, discovered her at a school meeting in Warangal.is winning streak continued at the Tokyo Paralympics in 2020, where he won silver in the SL-4 category, solidifying his place as a trailblazer in the world of para-sports. This victory also made him the world’s number-one para shuttler.

Coach Ramesh recognised her talent and took on the challenge of training her, while her father, a struggling farm worker, fully backed her dream.

Training Deepthi wasn’t easy; her communication difficulties made it challenging for Coach Ramesh, who works with India’s junior athletics team.

Her parents mentioned to Ramesh that she once fell off a roof and acted like she wasn’t hurt because she couldn’t communicate her pain.

Later, on the recommendation of coach Pullela Gopichand, Deepthi was assessed at the National Institute of Empowerment for Persons with Intellectual Disability.

After being certified for her learning disability, she was able to participate in para sports, marking a significant turning point in her life.

However, her parents couldn’t afford the bus fare for her training. But they were so resolute that they sold their half-acre of land to support her journey.

Their sacrifice paid off when Deepthi won gold in the 400m T20 at the 2023 Para Asian Games with a record time of 56.69 seconds. With the Rs 30 lakh prize that Deepthi got from this victory, they proudly purchased another piece of land.

Deepthi continued to excel, winning gold medals at the Para Asian Games in China in 2023 and the World Para Grand Prix in Morocco and the Para-Oceania Games in Australia in 2024.

In May 2024, she set a world record in the 400m T20 category at the World Para Athletics Championship in Kobe, Japan, clocking 55.06 seconds.

Deepthi’s journey from ridicule to recognition stands as an inspiration to many. Her victories have made her family and villagers proud; and those who once taunted her are now congratulating her.