Telangana Chief Minister Revanth Reddy presented a cheque of Rs. 1 crore to athlete Deepthi Jeevanji, who recently earned a bronze medal at the Paralympics. Her coach also received a cheque for Rs. 10 lakh as part of the recognition for their efforts.
Earlier, on September 7, the Chief Minister had directed officials to ensure that Deepthi Jeevanji receives a Group-2 job, a Rs. 1 crore cash prize, and 500 square yards of land in Warangal as a reward for her achievements.
On Tuesday, at his residence in Jubilee Hills, Revanth Reddy personally handed over the cheques to Deepthi and her coach in a ceremony attended by Sports Chairman Siva Sena Reddy and other sports officials.
Both Deepthi and her coach expressed their gratitude for receiving the reward within the promised two-week timeframe.
Deepthi Jeevanji secured the bronze medal in the Women’s 400m T20 event at her Paralympic debut in Paris. The 21-year-old athlete showed great promise in the initial stages of the race but finished just behind Ukraine’s Yuliia Shuliar and Turkey’s Aysel Onder.
With a time of 55.82 seconds, Deepthi added a bronze to India’s medal tally. Yuliia Shuliar took the gold with a time of 55.16 seconds, while Aysel Onder claimed the silver, clocking in at 55.23 seconds.
In the qualification round, Deepthi impressed with her performance, finishing first in her Women’s 400m T20 heat with a time of 55.45 seconds. Ukraine’s Yuliia secured second place with her season-best timing of 56.49 seconds, followed by Brazil’s Antonia Keyla Da Silva Barros, who also achieved her season’s best and qualified for the final.
Deepthi’s journey in para-athletics began in 2019 after being discovered by SAI coach N Ramesh in Hyderabad. A Khelo India athlete since 2018 and now a part of the TOPS program, she has rapidly risen to prominence, winning international accolades including a Gold Medal at the Asian Para Games and breaking the world record with another Gold Medal at the 2024 World Championship. On the domestic front, she made her mark by winning two medals at the 2020 Khelo India Youth Games.
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