Deepthi overcomes intellectual impairment to win silver in Virtus Global Games

Deepthi won her third International medal clinching a 400m silver in Virtus Global Games (intellectual impairment category) in Vichy (France) couple of days ago.

Published : Jun 09, 2023 18:02 IST , HYDERABAD - 2 MINS READ

Jeevanji Deepthi celebrates after winning the silver in the Virtus Global Games.
Jeevanji Deepthi celebrates after winning the silver in the Virtus Global Games. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
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Jeevanji Deepthi celebrates after winning the silver in the Virtus Global Games. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

A couple of years ago, she had a fall from the top of a building and yet didn’t feel any pain. Not because of her extraordinary powers but because of her intellectual impairment and the inability to express her feelings freely like any other normal girl.

But, when Jeevanji Deepthi first competed in a State-level athletic meet in Khammam in 2019 despite these challenges, she caught the attention of SAI athletics coach N. Ramesh who felt that she could be groomed given her ‘rare qualities’ to give her best despite the adversity.

Not surprisingly, Deepthi’s parents - daily wage labourers in Kalleda (Warangal) - told him that they didn’t have money even to pay the bus fare. So, as was the case with many athletes sponsored by the Gopi-Mytrah Foundation, Ramesh decided to take her under his tutelage and train at the Gachibowli Stadium and Gaudium International School here.

It is a different story that Deepthi later on, surprised her mother by giving Rs 30,000 of her cash incentive for winning a Youth Asia championship medal with which the proud parent is taking care of the family by starting small-time business.

That Ramesh has no regrets now is perhaps a reflection of the kind of hard work 20-year-old Deepthi , an inmate of SAI STC here, put in the last few years and when she won her third International medal clinching a 400m silver in Virtus Global Games (intellectual impairment category) in Vichy (France) couple of days ago was a gentle reminder of yet another success story an athlete transgressing all kinds of barriers thanks to timely support. Deepthi also won a silver in the 200m event on Friday in the same meet in France.

The previous two international medals won by Deepthi were the 400m gold in Morocco Para Athletic Meet and another gold in 400m in Oceania-Pacific Games in Australia.

Ramesh reveals that when they had tough time initially in training Deepthi because she could not communicate. It was P. Gopi Chand, chief national badminton coach, who suggested her to be taken to National Institute of Mentally Retarded (Bowenpally, Hyderabad) and after three days of medical tests got her certified to be ‘mentally impaired’ so that she could continue training and compete in para meets.

“One of the early challenges was Deepthi ,a student of RDF School (Kalleda, Warangal) founded by Mr. Ram Mohan Rao who also supports archery in a big way, was shivering in training sessions and couldn’t explain the reason. She had issues in grasping for obvious reasons. We had to be very patient and make her feel comfortable despite all odds,” Ramesh said.

Spurred by her latest achievement, Ramesh is gunning for greater glory - training Deepthi to target the few major events lined up later this year backed by a scientific coaching schedule both at Gachibowli and the Gaudium International School.

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