Murlikant Petkar
Petkar in 2019 | |||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Nickname | Chandu Champion | ||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Indian | ||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 November 1944 (age 81) Sangli, Maharashtra | ||||||||||||||
| Military career | |||||||||||||||
| Allegiance | India | ||||||||||||||
| Branch | Indian Army | ||||||||||||||
| Rank | Craftsman | ||||||||||||||
| Unit | EME | ||||||||||||||
| Awards | Padma Shri | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Country | India | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | Swimming, javelin, slalom, table tennis, shot put, Boxing | ||||||||||||||
| Disability | Yes | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Murlikant Petkar (born 1 November 1944) 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 throw, precision javelin throw, and wheelchair slalom. He was a finalist in all three events. In 2018, he was awarded with the Padma Shri. He was also awarded the Arjuna Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2024, which was presented to him in January 2025.