Ace woman sprinter Jayanti Behera made Odisha proud at the 3rd Indian Open National Para Athletics Championship, bagging three gold medals in T47 category of the two-day event, which was held in Bangalore, Karnataka on 19 and 20 December 2021.

This was a remarkable comeback for Jayanti, who missed Tokyo Paralympics due health issues. She bagged a double on the opening day, winning the 100m and 400m sprints, clocking 13.44 seconds and 1 minute 01 second respectively.

Jayanti completed the treble today, adding the 200m gold with a time of 27.80 seconds. She was the only athlete, who represented Odisha in this championship, which was organised by Paralympic Committee of India.

More than 200 para-athletes are expected to participate in this Paralympics-approved championship. According to her coach Bishnu Prasad Mishra, the Open National treble is sure to help Jayanti overcome the Paralympics heart-break and win laurels for the state and the country.

Elaborating on missing the Tokyo Paralympic Games, Mishra said, “India had four quota places for athletes. Singh there were more aspirants, Paralympic Committee of India conducted a selection trial in Delhi. Unfortunately, Jayanti was not fully fit at that time. After taking Covid vaccine, he had lost weight and was feeling weak. Due to health issue she could not achieve the qualifying mark in the selection trial and missed Paralympic ticket.’’
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PHOTO: Jayanti Behera with one of her three gold medals at the Indian Open National Para Athletics Championship in Bangalore on 20 December 2021.