When she was 30 years old, she began her career as a para athlete. She earned a silver medal in the shot-put event at the 2016 Summer Paralympics, becoming the first Indian woman to do so. Additionally, she earned a gold medal in the 2018 Dubai Para Athletic Grand Prix in the F-53/54 Javelin competition. In the F-53 category, she is currently ranked first in the world. She has received recognition for her involvement in a variety of adventure sports. She is affiliated with the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India and the Himalayan Motorsports Association (H.M.A. (F.M.S.C.I.). She travelled 1,700 kilometres over eight days in sub-zero weather, climbing to 18,000 feet along the way (5,500 m).
Super-Athlete
Deepa Malik is one such super-athlete who serves as a global role model. Malik, who will be 52, (born on September 30, 1970).
The athlete was identified with a spine tumour when she was five years old. Following three years of therapy and treatment, she overcame the condition. Her tumour, however, resurfaced when she was 29 years old, and doctors warned her that she would be unable to walk after the procedure.
Malik, who is wedded to an Army officer and was raised in an Army family, has participated in every imaginable sport. Malik kept moving forward in life, never giving up hope, and on September 12, 2016, at the age of 45, she achieved her goal of becoming an athlete.
Late Bloomer
At the age of 30, Malik started her sporting career. She excelled in several different sports disciplines, including shot put, swimming, javelin throw, discus throw, and even motorcycle riding. In total, she holds medals from 18 international competitions and close to 54 domestic competitions. Additionally, she took home gold in the javelin competition at the 2018 Dubai Paralympic Grand Prix.
Malik has received praise for her involvement in a variety of adventure sports. She is a member of the Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India and the Himalayan Motorsports Association (HMA) (FMSCI). She is the holder of four Limca world records. Malik became the first para-athlete from India to win three straight Asian Para Games (2010, 2014, 2018).
Malik is also the first person with a physical disability in the nation to be granted a formal rally license by the Federation Motor Sports Club of India (FMSCI) and to participate as a navigator and driver in the most difficult auto rallies in the nation. She belongs to and participates in a number of organizations that are affiliated with the Indian Ministry of Sports and focus on sports and physical education.
Awards Galore
As if that weren’t enough, Malik has also won a number of other accolades. In 2012, she received the renowned Arjuna Award, and in 2017, she received the prestigious Padma Shree Award. In 2019, she also earned India’s top sporting honour, the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award, and the First Ladies Award from the Ministry of Women and Child Development.
Few people in the globe may have won these honours and medals from competitions in her name thus far. Malik, a mother of two, is an inspiration to both the present and coming generations.
