Devaki Dhar, a 19-year-old national sprinter from Delhi, has made a remarkable comeback in Indian athletics after being diagnosed with epilepsy in late 2024, a condition that paused her competitive career and challenged her identity as an athlete.

After months of medical treatment, redesigned training and disciplined rehabilitation, Devaki returned to competition in mid-2025, winning a silver medal at the Delhi State Athletics Meet and later breaking an eight-year personal best an achievement she had never imagined possible after her diagnosis.

Now training in Bengaluru under experienced coaches and focusing on the Indoor Nationals 2026 with hopes of qualifying for larger international events, she has emerged as a powerful voice for greater awareness and inclusion of neurological conditions in Indian sport and society.

Structured Comeback on the Track

For Devaki, the track has always been a place of order, discipline and measurable results an environment where every fraction of a second is earned. That clarity evaporated in late 2024 when she began feeling unexplained unease, leading to a diagnosis of epilepsy shortly after her last competition in November that year.

Epilepsy is a neurological condition characterised by abnormal bursts of electrical activity in the brain, which can cause seizures and often requires long-term management with medication and lifestyle adjustments.

The diagnosis hit Devaki hard. “I didn’t panic. Everything just froze,” she recalled, describing how her immediate concern was whether she could continue running.

Her doctor’s initial answer was cautious: not anytime soon. That moment marked a profound shift in her life, both physically and emotionally. Training stopped, she lost significant weight and she stepped away from competition entirely as she grappled with the reality of her condition.

After months of dedicated medical support and basic physical conditioning, Devaki relocated to Bengaluru in mid-2025 to train under Bindu Rani Gowda, a former national sprinter and head coach at Baladhama Sports Academy.

Training was redesigned completely sessions were scheduled later in the day to protect sleep, loads were reduced, recovery was prioritised, and care was taken to align training with medication timing.

“She takes medication during training,” Bindu explains. “She’ll take a tablet, rest for ten minutes, and then get back to repetitions.” This structured yet patient approach allowed Devaki to gradually adapt and regain confidence.

Nutrition also played a critical role. Sports nutritionist Suhasini Viswanathan worked with Devaki to rebuild her body after months of weight loss and diminished appetite, focusing on nutrient timing, microbiome health and careful hydration.

These adjustments were essential not just for recovery, but for neurological balance and sustainable conditioning a reminder that athletics, especially when intersecting with health challenges, demands holistic support.

From Struggle to Personal Best

Devaki’s story with sprinting began unassumingly. Her first school 100-metre race saw her finishing nearly last, but her persistence kept her returning to the track day after day for nearly a decade. Running became her identity her way of making sense of herself. She began focusing on sprints, particularly the 100 metres, and later the 60 metres, illustrating a deep commitment to her sport long before her diagnosis.

After about 25 days of carefully monitored track training in Bengaluru, Devaki lined up for a race in July 2025 the Delhi State Athletics Meet, held as trials for national championships. She finished with a silver medal, marking her successful competitive return.

But the momentum didn’t stop there. In September 2025, she competed again at a state meet serving as trials for the All India Inter-State National Athletics Championships. There, Devaki achieved a personal best she hadn’t reached in eight years, a milestone she chose to keep private but which symbolises her resilience and progress.

She now looks ahead to the inaugural Indoor Nationals in March 2026, a qualifying pathway to the Asian Indoor Championships and potentially the Asian Games 2026, underscoring that her ambitions remain high despite the hurdles she has faced.

Beyond medals and timings, Devaki’s journey reflects a deeper transformation—one defined not just by physical ability but by her evolving relationship with her body, her sport and her condition. “Progress is not about fear disappearing,” she says, “It’s about not letting it stop you.”

Awareness, Inclusion and Broader Context

Epilepsy remains widely misunderstood in India despite being one of the most common neurological disorders globally.

According to health experts, with appropriate diagnosis and treatment, up to 70 per cent of people with epilepsy can live normal, active lives, yet stigma, myths and lack of awareness often delay diagnosis and proper care. Studies estimate that India is home to roughly 12 million people with epilepsy, facing both medical and social barriers to full participation in work, education and community life.

Within the sports ecosystem, awareness gaps can be particularly pronounced. Athletes with neurological or invisible health conditions often lack access to tailored medical support, adaptive training protocols and psychological counselling that can make a meaningful difference in long-term outcomes.

Devaki’s coach Bindu notes that “we should not make their road back harder; understanding makes a difference,” highlighting how inclusivity and informed coaching are essential to athlete welfare.

Her experience sheds light on the broader need for sports institutions, medical professionals and communities to foster environments that prioritise health, empathy and informed support over simplistic performance metrics. This is especially important in a country where discussions around neurodiversity and chronic health conditions are still emerging and often met with silence or misunderstanding.

The Logical Indian’s Perspective

Devaki’s journey is more than a sports story; it is a testament to human resilience, the power of structured support and the transformative impact of empathy and awareness.

Her return to competitive sprinting after an epilepsy diagnosis challenges stereotypes and calls for a rethinking of how we, as a society, perceive health, ability and achievement. In highlighting her story, we are reminded that no condition visible or invisible should diminish a person’s right to pursue their dreams, nor should it define their worth.

Sports and community spaces must evolve to be inclusive, compassionate and supportive of individuals facing medical challenges, recognising that mental wellbeing and physical health are inseparable from success.