Murlikant Petkar
Murlikant Petkar is India's first Paralympic gold medalist. He won an individual gold medal in the 1972 Summer Paralympics, in Heidelberg, Germany. He set a world record in the 50 m freestyle swimming event, at 37.33 seconds. In the same games he participated in javelin, precision javelin throw and slalom. He was a finalist in all three events. In 2018, he was awarded with the Padma Shri.Biography
He was private or jawan of the craftsman rank in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers in the Indian Army. He was disabled during the 1965 war against Pakistan, sustaining severe bullet wounds. Petkar was originally a boxer at EME, Secunderabad. After he was crippled he switched to swimming and other sports. He participated in table tennis at the 1968 Summer Paralympics and cleared the first round. He won four medals in swimming. He was later employed by TELCO in Pune.
