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The 2020 Summer Paralympics is upon us. The Games will be hosted in Tokyo from August 24 to September 5. A total of 22 sports are scheduled for inclusion in the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games. Badminton and Taekwondo will be making their debuts at the 2020 Paralympic Games.
Tokyo awaits the arrival of the champion athletes from across the globe. India's Paralympic team is also gearing up in anticipation of a rich medal haul at the games.
Here we look at India's five champion Paralympians who have ridden their success on the sportsfield and made the country proud with their immense success.
Murlikant Petkar
Murlikant Petkar was India's first Paralympian to win a medal. The para-swimmer won the gold medal at the 1972 Heidelberg Games. Murlikant Petkar's gold-medal performance was special because he created a world record in the 50m freestyle. Murlikant Petkar clocked a time of 37.33s to script his name in the record books.
Outside the Paralympics, Murlikant Petkar kept proving his mettle. He won gold in the Paraplegic category for 50m swimming at the International Games in Moscow in 1968. A year later he won a gold in the 50m freestyle swimming at Stoke Mandeville International Paraplegic Meet in England. Murlikant Petkar's gold-winning streak in continued as he went on to clinch the medal at the 3rd Commonwealth Paraplegic Games held in Edinburgh in 1970.
The Commonwealth Paraplegic Games were special as Murlikant Petkar won silver in the javelin throw and bronze in shot put. In 1975, Murlikant Petkar won another gold and created another world record at the Stoke Mandeville International Paraplegic Meet in the UK. In 1982, yet another world record was created by this swimming sensation at the International FESPIC Games in Hong Kong.
Joginder Singh Bedi
The 1984 Summer Paralympics proved a successful one for India as the country returned with a haul of four medals. Of the four medals won by India, three were clinched by one man.
Paralympian Joginder Singh Bedi was at his very best as he clinched a silver medal in the men's shot put and then won two bronze medals in discus throw and javelin throw.
Joginder Singh Bedi's show at the 1984 Summer Paralympics remains the greatest performance ever by an Indian at either the Olympics or Paralympics. No Indian has ever won three medals in a single edition of an Olympics or Paralympics.
Also read: 6 major differences between Summer Olympics and Paralympics
Deepa Malik
Deepa Malik is the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics. She won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics when she finished second in the women's shot put F-53. Deepa Malik threw at a distance of 4.61m.
Deepa Malik's other notable performances includes a silver medal in shot put at the 2011 World Para Athletics Championships, a bronze medal in Javelin Throw at the 2010 Asian Para Games in Guangzhou, a silver medal in Javelin Throw at the 2014 Asian Para Games in Incheon and two bronze medals (one each in discus throw and javelin throw) at the 2018 Asian Para Games in Jakarta. Deepa Malik is currently serving as the President of the Paralympic Committee of India.
Devendra Jhajaria
Javelin thrower Devendra Jhajharia is the first Indian Paralympian to win two gold medals at the Paralympics.
Devendra Jhajharia won his first gold medal at the 2004 Summer Paralympics in Athens. He then repeated the performance at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio.
Devendra Jhajharia is also a world record holder in javelin throw. In june he bettered his own world record while participating in national selection Trials in New Delhi.
At the Trials Devendra Jhajharia threw the javelin a distance of 65.71m. With that throw he bettered his previous world record of 63.97m which he created at the Rio Games. The throw also helped him book a spot in the Indian contingent for the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo.
Amit Kumar Saroha
Amit Kumar Saroha is the first Indian with quadriplegia to represent India at the Paralympics.
He represented India at the 2012 London Paralympic Games. Amit Kumar Saroha has failed to win a medal at the Paralympics but his achievements in other events are great.
He has won two silver medals at the world para athletic championships. He won his first medal at the world championships in 2015 in at Doha in the men's Club Throw-F51. He then repeated the performance at the 2017 world championships in London.
Amit Kumar Saroha has also dominated the para Asian Games where he has claimed two silver medals and one gold medal. Amit Kumar has bagged silver medals in the men's Discus Throw-F51 at the 2010 Guangzhou Games and 2014 Incheon Games. At the Incheon Games he also claimed the gold medal in the men's club throw-F51.
Amit Kumar Saroha is now gearing up for the Tokyo Paralympic Games. He will be representing the country in the F51 category in discus throw and club throw.
Also read: Refugee Paralympic Team for Tokyo 2020: Overcoming adversities in style
