Hyderabad teen with brittle bone disease wins table tennis gold in Khelo India Para Games

For someone who started competing in the circuit just about a year ago, Deepika is already one of the most talked-about athletes in the Para Games

Hyderabad: She cannot stand on her own because of brittle bone disease, which also makes her very short-statured. But that major handicap is no deterrent as 14-year-old Gangapatnam Vijaya Deepika from Hyderabad grew in stature, scripting a ‘golden’ finish in the ongoing Khelo India Para Games table tennis competition in Delhi.

In a way, Deepika served a warning note of sorts before the Delhi edition of the Para Games, winning gold in mixed doubles and women’s doubles at the Vadodara Nationals.

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For someone who started competing in the circuit just about a year ago, Deepika is already one of the most talked-about athletes in the Para Games, despite life never being easy for obvious reasons. Just consider this—she has suffered 47 multiple fractures due to repeated falls for different reasons!

“My only son, Vijaytej Raju, was a national-ranking tennis player before the pandemic forced him to focus on studies. Then, we decided to put Deepika into sports. Initially, we considered wheelchair tennis, but since she didn’t have the strength to hit a tennis ball, we preferred table tennis instead,” recalls her proud father, Vijay Bhaskar Raju, who works in Defence Accounts in the city.

Winning five silver medals in national-level tournaments over the past year has certainly made Deepika, who trains at Aspire Academy in Hyderabad, one of the most recognized names in para sports circles.

Having left an indelible impact in her debut Khelo India Para Games, Deepika is now looking for sponsors to help her compete in as many tournaments as possible to make the cut for the next Para Asian Games.

“An international-standard wheelchair for table tennis competitions costs about Rs. 4.5 lakh. This is beyond our budget, so we will be grateful if someone can help us,” says her father.

Deepika, currently ranked India No. 2 in her category, is also chasing the ultimate dream—winning gold at the next Paralympics.

Will the State Government, which doles out huge cash incentives to high-profile athletes, take note of such rare achievers defying all odds?