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Know these top 4 Indian Paralympians who have made the country proud!

India created history at the 1968 Summer Paralympics. Since then, para athletes have consistently brought glory to the country. In all, the country won 31 medals at the Paralympics.

Aniruddha Chakraborty

20 Aug 2024 20:47 IST

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1/4

Murlikant Petkar

In 1972, Petkar created history by becoming the first Indian to win a Paralympic gold medal in Heidelberg. Her event was the 50-meter freestyle swim. Petkar was shot dead during the 1965 war against Pakistan. A bullet still pierced his spine. Demonstrating exemplary attitude, he left his past behind and participated in various sports. Reached the finals of the javelin throw and slalom racing events at the 1968 Paralympics. Petkar was awarded the Padma Shri by the Government of India in 2018 for his bravery.

2/4

Deepa Malik

In 1999, at the age of 29, Malik was diagnosed with a spinal tumor. He became paralyzed from the waist down. Despite such a big setback at the peak of his life, he did not back down and chose para sports. In the 2016 Rio, she became the first Indian woman to win a Paralympics medalist when she won a silver medal in shot put. Malik had won a gold medal in the javelin event at the Para Athletic Grand Prix in 2018. He is currently the President of the Paralympic Association of India.

3/4

Joginder Singh Bedi

India's Joginder Singh Bedi was the star at the 1984 Paralympics, where he competed in shot put, discus throw and javelin throw. She competed in the L6 category where she won three medals – two bronze and one silver. This makes Kiran Bedi the only Indian Paralympian to win the most medals (three).

4/4

Amit Kumar Saroha

Amit Kumar Saroha is another name shining on the big stage for India. At the age of 22, Saroha suffered a horrific car accident that caused her to quadruple due to spinal compression. Despite the odds, he did not lose hope and worked his way. She is now a para athlete in the athletics-club and discus throw (F-51) categories. She won a medal at the IPC Athletics World Championships (2015, 2017), a silver in the club throw event in the F-51 category. She won a gold medal at the 2014 Asian Para Games and competed at the 2016 Rio Paralympics. She won the gold medal in the club throw event at the 2018 Asian Para Games, Jakarta.

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