Bhubaneswar: Ace para-athlete of Odisha Jayanti Behera hogged the limelight in the 19th National Para Athletics Championships by emerging champion in the women's 400 metre event in Bengaluru on Thursday.
Jayanti opened her account in the mega competition in style by clinching a gold medal in the T-47 category of the 400 metre event. She bagged the yellow metal by clocking 59.43 seconds to complete the race.
Jayanti is also hopeful of winning medals in the 100 metre and 200 metre events of the competition.
"The Covid-19 pandemic has caused the most significant disruption to the worldwide sporting. It's a great feeling to be back on the track once again. I am delighted to emerge champion in my first attempt after a hiatus of two years," said an elated Jayanti.
"My confidence has been boosted after winning the gold medal. I am hopeful of continuing the momentum throughout the rest of the tournament," she said.
In her glorious career, Jayanti has won a silver and a bronze medal in the women's 400 metre (with a timing of 59.71 seconds) and 200 metre (with a timing of 27.45 seconds) events respectively at the 3rd Asian Para Games, held in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2018. She has also bagged a gold medal in the T42-T47 400 metre and a silver in the 200 metre events of the World Junior Para Athletics Championships held at Nottwil, Switzerland in 2017.