Paris: In a remarkable performance at the Paris Paralympic Games 2024, India’s Deepthi Jeevanji claimed the bronze medal in the Women’s 400m T20 final on Tuesday at the Stade de France. Clocking in at 55.82 seconds, Jeevanji’s effort brought India’s total medal count to 16.
This medal marks a significant achievement for India, being the third track medal in the country’s Paralympic Games history. The previous track medals were secured by Preethi Pal, who earned double bronze last week.
Jeevanji entered the Paralympics as the world record holder in the event with a time of 55.04 seconds. However, this record was broken in the heats by Turkiye’s Aysel Onder, who went on to secure the silver medal with a timing of 55.23 seconds. Ukraine’s Yuliia Shuliar emerged victorious, achieving a personal best of 55.16 seconds to clinch the gold medal, narrowly outpacing both Jeevanji and Onder.
The bronze medal win by Jeevanji was a welcome highlight for India on a day that saw some near misses in other events. Shooter Avani Lekhara finished fifth in the Women’s 50m Rifle 3 Positions SH1 final, while Bhagyashree Jadhav also took fifth place in the Women’s Shot Put F34 final. In archery, Pooja Jatyan exited the Women’s Individual Recurve competition in the quarterfinals after failing to capitalize on a match arrow.
Jeevanji’s achievement not only added to India’s medal tally but also highlighted the prowess of athletes competing in the T20 classification, which includes athletes with an intellectual impairment. This impairment affects conceptual, social, and practical adaptive skills necessary for daily life, and must be present before the age of 18.