Highlights :
- Since 1984, India has participated in every Summer Paralympics game.
- India has won 12 medals, including 4 gold and many silver and bronze medal in Paralympics.
- Murlikant Petkar, Bhimrao Kesarkar, and Davendra Jhajharia are some of the past Paralympics medalists from India.
India made its debut in the Summer Paralympics of 1968 and then participated again in the games of 1972, but showed no further presence until the 1984 Paralympics. Since 1984, India has participated in every Summer Paralympics game. India has won a total of 12 medals, including 4 gold and several silver and bronze medals. Indian athletes at Summer Paralympics have always made India proud. Let us see all the past Paralympics medalists from India:
Past Paralympics Medalists From India
1. Murlikant Petkar – 1972, Heidelberg Paralympics (Gold Medalist)
India’s first-ever medal at Paralympics was won by Murlikant Pethkar.
He won a gold in the men’s 50m freestyle swimming event with a world record time of 37.331 seconds.
2. Joginder Singh Bedi – 1984, New York ( US), Stoke Mandeville (UK) Paralympics (Silver And Bronze Medalist)
Joginder Singh Bedi was an Indian track and field athlete. He won the silver medal in shot put and two bronze medals in the discus and javelin throw. He is the only Indian Paralympics medalist to have three medals in his name.
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3. Bhimrao Kesarkar – 1984, New York (US), Stoke Mandeville (UK) Paralympics (Silver Medalist)
Bhimrao Kesarkar won the silver medal in the men’s javelin throw event in the 1984 Paralympics. He was ahead of his fellow athlete Joginder Singh Bedi who secured a bronze medal at the same event.
4. Davendra Jhajharia – 2004, Athens Paralympics (Gold Medalist)
He is an Indian Paralympic javelin thrower competing in F46 events. He claimed the gold medal in the men’s javelin throw at the Athens Games. He set the world record of 62.15m and crossed it after 12 years.
Davendra was born in a small village of Rajasthan, and he was only eight years old when his left hand was amputated after he accidentally touched the electric cable while climbing a tree.
5. Rajinder Singh Rahelu – 2004, Athens Paralympics (Bronze Medalist)
He competed in the 56kg men’s powerlifting event and claimed the bronze medal with an endeavor of 157.5 kg. Born in Mesampur village, Rajinder suffers from infantile paralysis.
Polio caught him when he was just eight months old.
6. Girisha Nagarajegowda – 2012, London Paralympics (Silver Medalist)
He is a paralympic high jumper and was the only one to secure a medal at the London Games.
He claimed his silver medal in the men’s high jump f-42 category with a jump of 1.74 meters. Girisha Nagarajegowda has an impairment in his left leg.
7. Davendra Jhajharia – 2016, Rio Paralympics (Gold Medalist)
Jhajharia crossed his record of 62.15 meters in the 2004 Athens Games by throwing the javelin at a distance of 63.97 meters in the 2016 Rio Games, and thus bragged the gold medal for the same. He is one of India’s most decorated paralympic medalists.
8. Mariyappan Thangavelu – 2016, Rio Paralympics (Gold Medalist)
Thangavelu claimed a gold medal in the high jump event at the Rio Games.
He cleared the mark of 1.89 meters and is one of the three gold paralympic medalists in India.
9. Deepa Malik – 2016, Rio Paralympics (Silver Medalist)
Malik is the first Indian woman to win a Paralympic medal. She won the silver medal in the shot put event at the Rio Paralympics with the best throw of 4.61 meters.
She is currently serving as the President of the Paralympic Committee of India.
10. Varun Singh Bhati – 2016, Rio Paralympics (Bronze Medalist)
Bhati claimed the bronze medal in the high jump at the Rio Paralympic games. Mariyappan won the gold in the same event.
The time has come to appreciate the past Paralympics medalists who made every Indian proud.
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