7+ Famous Personalities of Paralympic Games

To name only a few famous Indian Paralympic athletes, would be an injustice to the remarkable achievements of many others. Paralympic athletes from India are continuously bringing laurels to the nation. Since India’s debut in the year 1968, the Summer Paralympics in Tel Aviv, India made history in the field of para-sports. Indian para-athletes have not only won medals but have also inspired millions of differently-abled people across the country. With a total of 6 gold medals won to date in the Paralympics of 2024, the athletes have displayed exemplary spirit and determination, proving that no challenge is insurmountable. 

List of Indian Paralympic Athletes with Medals

The names of a few famous Indian Paralympic athletes include Murlikant Petkar, Avani Lekhara, Deepa Malik, etc. Get a detailed list of Indian Paralympic athletes below with their achievements and inspiring stories. 

Paralympic Athlete	Sport	Medal	Event	Games
Murlikant Petkar	Swimming	Gold	Men’s 50m freestyle 3	Heidelberg 1972
Bhimrao Kesarkar	Athletics	Silver	Men’s javelin throw L6	Stoke Mandeville/New York 1984
Joginder Singh Bedi	Athletics	Silver, Bronze	Men’s shot put L6, Men’s javelin throw L6, Men’s discus throw L6	Stoke Mandeville/New York 1984
Devendra Jhajharia	Athletics	Gold (2), Silver	Men’s javelin throw F44/46, F46	Athens 2004, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020
Rajinder Singh Rahelu	Powerlifting	Bronze	Men’s 56 kg	Athens 2004
Girisha N Gowda	Athletics	Silver	Men’s high jump F42	London 2012
Mariyappan Thangavelu	Athletics	Gold, Silver, Bronze	Men’s high jump F42, T42, T63	Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024
Bhavina Patel	Table Tennis	Silver	Women’s singles class 4	Tokyo 2020
Nishad Kumar	Athletics	Silver	Men’s high jump T47	Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024
Avani Lekhara	Shooting	Gold, Bronze	Women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1, Women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1	Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024
Sundar Singh Gurjar	Athletics	Bronze	Men’s javelin throw F46	Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024
Harvinder Singh	Archery	Gold, Bronze	Men’s individual recurve open, Mixed team compound open	Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024
Manish Narwal	Shooting	Gold, Silver	Men’s 50m pistol SH1, Men’s 10m air pistol SH1	Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024
Pramod Bhagat	Badminton	Gold	Men’s singles SL3	Tokyo 2020
Suhas Yathiraj	Badminton	Silver	Men’s singles SL4	Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024
Sumit Antil	Athletics	Gold (2)	Men’s javelin throw F64	Tokyo 2020, Paris 2024

All About Famous Personalities of Paralympic Games

Now, let us know more about the achievements of these famous personalities of the Paralympic games hereon:

Murlikant Petkar 

• Murlikant Petkar became India’s first-ever Paralympic gold medalist at the 1972 Heidelberg Games. 
• His achievement in the Men’s 50m freestyle swimming event was a stepping stone for future athletes. 
• Murlikant Petkar set a world record with a time of 37.33 seconds.

Bhimrao Kesarkar 

• Bhimrao Kesarkar was one of the famous Indian Paralympic athletes in the 1984 Paralympics, with a silver medal in the Men’s Javelin throw L6 category. 
• Bhimrao Kesarkar’s throw of 34.55 meters won in the Stoke Mandeville and New York 1984. 

Joginder Singh Bedi

• Joginder Singh Bedi became the first Indian Paralympian to win multiple medals in a single edition of the Paralympic Games. 
• At the 1984 Paralympic, he secured three medals – silver in the Men’s shot put L6, bronze in the Men’s javelin throw L6 and Men’s discus throw L6. 
• His achievements highlighted his versatility across multiple disciplines. 

Also Read – Who is the Most Famous Paralympic Athlete?

Devendra Jhajharia 

• Devendra Jhajharia has two gold medals to his name and a silver in the javelin throw. 
• He won his first gold at the Athens 2004 throw of 62.15 meters in the Paralympics, setting a world record with a 63.97 meter throw.
• Since his win, he has been idolised and is one of the few famous Indian Paralympic athletes.

Avani Lekhara 

• Avani Lehkar is an Indian Paralympic shooter, who won multiple medals across two editions of the Games. 
• Avani Lekhara made history at Tokyo 2020 by winning gold in the Women’s 10m air rifle standing SH1 with a Paralympic record score. 
• She continued her success in Paris 2024, adding a bronze in the Women’s 50m rifle 3 positions SH1 event.
• She is inspiring generations and has made her name imprinted to the list of Indian Paralympic athletes.

Mariyappan Thangavelu 

• Mariyappan Thangavelu won his first gold in Rio 2016 with a jump of 1.89 meters. 
• He again continued his winning streak with a silver medal in Tokyo 2020 and a bronze medal in Paris 2024 Paralympics recently. 
• He has been awarded Padma Shri and Khel Ratna awards, registering his name in the list of Indian Paralympic athletes.

Amit Kumar Saroha 

• Amit Kumar Saroha became a quadriplegic after a car accident at the age of 22.
• However, he did not let this stop him from achieving greatness. 
• Earning a gold medal in Club Throw and a silver in Discus Thow (F51 category), Saroha has won medals at the IPC Athletics World Championships and the Asian Para Games.
• He was the first quadriplegic to represent at the Paralympics and is also an Arjuna Award winner.

Also Read – Famous Paralympic Winners of All Time

Deepa Malik 

• Deepa Malik was diagnosed with a spinal tumour at the age of 29, which left her paralysed from the waist down. She did not take it as a setback. 
• In the 2016 Rio Paralympics, she became the first Indian female athlete to win a Paralympic medal by clinching a silver in Shot Put. 
• She also won a Gold in Javelin at the Para Athletic Grand Prix in 2018. 
• Currently, she is the sub-regional representative for South Asia by the Asian Paralympic Committee (APC).

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