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Indian Paralympic medalist athlete Deepthi Jeevanji was felicitated at her varsity, SRM University on Friday for her fine performances in the sporting arena which helped her secure the Arjuna Award during the National Sports Awards recently this month.
Deepthi secured a bronze medal at the Paris Paralympics last year in the 400 m T20. In the same competition category, she has gold medals in the 2022 Asian Para Games in Hangzhou and the 2024 World Para Athletics Championships in Kobe. Deepthi, who is currently pursuing a B.Com (Commerce) from the SRM University, was given a prize money of Rs 25 lakh for her accomplishments. During the Paralympics 2024, the 21-year-old was quick off the blocks but fell short in the final phase of the race, finishing behind Ukraine's Yuliia Shuliar and Turkey's Aysel Onder in Paris. In a race that was decided by the narrowest of margins, Deepthi clocked 55.82 seconds to add a bronze to India's medal tally. Yuliia claimed the gold with a timing of 55.16 seconds, while Aysel secured silver with a timing of 55.23 seconds. Deepthi had made her way into the final with a sensational run in the qualification round, finishing first in her Women's 400m T20 Round 1 heat with a time of 55.45 seconds. Deepthi, whose talent was discovered by SAI coach N Ramesh in Hyderabad, started her para-athletics journey in 2019. She has been a Khelo India athlete since 2018 and is a centreal government's Target Olympic Podium Scheme (TOPS) athlete. In a short period, she has won many international competitions, including a Gold Medal at the Asian Para Games and a Gold Medal at the 2024 World Championship, where she broke the world record. In the domestic circuit, she made a mark by winning two medals at the Khelo India Youth Games in 2020. (ANI)
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