Deepthi Jeevanji wins 400m gold in Games-record time

Deepthi Jeevanji won the women’s 400m T20 gold at the Asian Para Games on October 20, clocking 56.36 seconds to set a Games record and earn India its fifth gold of the competition. Japan’s Niina Kanno took silver in 58.92 seconds, while compatriot Akane Kato won bronze in 100.26 seconds. The race was held in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan. Jeevanji’s time was more than two seconds faster than Kanno’s. The T20 classification is for athletes with intellectual impairments. The race result placed Jeevanji among India’s leading medal winners as the Games entered its second day. A medal tally updated at 9 a.m. Wednesday listed India with five golds, six silvers and nine bronzes. The tally described Jeevanji’s win as the country’s fifth gold. India also secured medals in other events on Tuesday. Pradeep Kumar won silver and Ayush Verma bronze in the men’s F53/F54 javelin. Kumar threw a personal best of 27.45 metres. The combined event uses Raza points to account for athletes’ different classifications when comparing performances. In women’s singles para table tennis, Bhavina Patel and Sonalben Patel each took bronze after losing their respective semifinals. India’s mixed doubles pairs Pramod...