Former Paralympic medallist Deepthi Jeevanji won the gold medal in the 400m T20 event at the Asian Para Games 2026 in Nagoya on Tuesday.
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India’s gold medal winner Deepthi Jeevanji at Asian Para Games 2026(Source: X)
Asian Para Games 2026: Indian athlete Deepthi Jeevanji clinched the gold medal in the Asian Para Games 2026 women’s 400m T20 event after clocking a Games record time of 56.36sec in Nagoya on TuesdayThe 23-year-old runner from Telangana, a two-time Para World Championships medallist having won the gold in 2024, is also a Paralympic bronze medal winner in the same event.
On Tuesday, Japan’s Niina Kanno (58.92sec) won the silver and her compatriot Akane Kato (1:00.26sec) took bronze.
DEEPTHI JEEVANJI WINS GOLD FOR INDIA!
India’s para-athletics star Deepthi Jeevanji clinches GOLD in the Women’s 400m T20 at the Asian Para Games 2026 with an outstanding 56.36 seconds, setting a new Games record!
#AsianParaGames2026 #ASIANGames #DeepthiJeebanji https://t.co/EuUCZrWpOv— India Brief (@IndiaBrief365) October 20, 2026
The T20 classification covers athletes with intellectual impairmentsAthletes in this category experience challenges with processing information, concentration, and executing race plans or tactical strategies.
The 23-year-old was born in Kalleda village in Warangal district of TelenganaShe trained under coach Ramesh, the junior coach of the Indian team.
Deepthi Jeevanji was supported by badminton legend Pullela Gopichand
Deepthi was also supported by Indian badminton legend Pullela Gopichand, who suggested that she be tested at the National Institute for the Empowerment of Persons with Intellectual Disability in HyderabadIt was here that she was certified under the mentally impaired category, after the relevant tests, which allowed her to participate as para athlete.
Her journey in para athletics began with her participation in the Asian Youth Championships in Hong Kong in 2019, where she won a bronze medalIn spite of her intellectual impairment, which makes it difficult for her to express her feelings like other girls of her age, Deepthi remained determined to excel in her sport.
She continued to train hard and participated in various events organized by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) between 2019 and 2022Her hard work paid off when she won a gold medal in both 100m and 200m events at the Khelo India Youth Games 2020 in Guwahati.
Deepthi’s success continued at the National Junior and Youth Championships, where she won multiple medalsHer achievements earned her the status of a Khelo India Athlete.
Her most significant achievement came at the Asian Para Games 2023, where she created history by breaking the Games Record and Asian Record followed by a World Record of 55.07 seconds registered at World Championship 2024Her exceptional performance earned her a gold medal, cementing her place as a rising star in the world of para athletics.
Pradeep Kumar brings home silver, Ayush Verma gets bronze in men’s javelin throw F53/54
Indian para javelin star Pradeep Kumar claimed his second successive silver medal, while Ayush Verma fetched a bronze in the Asian Para Games 2026 men’s javelin throw F53/54 event on TuesdayPradeep (F54) produced a personal best throw of 27.45m to finish second.
Ayush (F53) ensured a double podium for India by clinching the bronze with a comparatively shorter throw of 17.88mThe 35-year-old finished ahead of Thailand’s Sahar-dam Yaena (F54), who threw 23.31m, owing to the higher degree of his disability that fetched him more Raza pointsIran’s Erfan Bandori successfully defended his gold with a Games record throw of 30.24m.
F53 athletes typically have full function of their arms and hands, but lack abdominal muscles and lower spinal muscle activity, leading to no sitting balanceF54 athletes have full upper muscle power in the arms and partial-to-full trunk muscle power, though movement in the mid-trunk and legs is still affected to a high degree.
