From barefoot runs to national acclaim: Deepthi Jeevanji’s journey to BBC Sportswoman awards

Diagnosed with an intellectual disability, Telangana’s Deepthi Jeevanji turned childhood stigma into triumph. From running barefoot in school to winning international medals, she now aims for Paralympic gold and the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Award 2025.

Hyderabad: There was a time when people advised her parents to send her away. They mocked her appearance, questioned her future, and dismissed her potential before she had even discovered it herself.

Now, those same lanes of doubt have given way to tracks of triumph, as Deepthi Jeevanji runs not just for medals — but for India.

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“I used to run barefoot in school,” she said ahead of the BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Awards 2025, reflecting on her childhood in Kalleda in the Warangal district of Telangana. Running was never a strategy; it was instinct. What no one could have predicted then was that the girl racing across dusty school grounds would one day represent India on the international stage in the T20 400m category.

Deepthi’s story goes in tandem with the editorial theme of this year’s BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year — Every Body Can Play. Diagnosed with an intellectual disability at a young age, she grew up hearing whispers that she was “different.” For many families, such stigma can become a burden. For hers, it became a reason to believe harder. “If my parents had listened to what people said, I wouldn’t be here today,” Deepthi says. “They chose love over fear.”

Her turning point came when a school physical trainer spotted her speed. That spark convinced her family to let her train professionally in Hyderabad. It was a leap of faith, despite money being scarce. Belief proved stronger than hesitation. “When I sat in an aeroplane for the first time, I cried,” she recalls. “I never thought life would take me this far.”

International medals and recognition followed, and with it came respect. When she received the Arjuna Award, it was not just a personal honour; it was a statement. A young girl once told she was a burden had become a national inspiration. “The same people who mocked me now welcome me,” she says, without bitterness. “You don’t answer taunts with words. You answer with hard work.”

At just 22, Deepthi’s ambitions are clear. She wants a Paralympic gold medal. She wants to build a house with a room where she can keep her medals. She wants to become a police officer. Dreams that once felt distant now feel deliberate.

The BBC Indian Sportswoman of the Year Awards 2025 will be hosted in New Delhi on Monday, February 16. The nominees are Divya Deshmukh (chess), Harmanpreet Kaur (cricket), Smriti Mandhana (cricket), Suruchi Singh (shooting) and Jyothi Yarraji (athletics).