 Petkar in 2019 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
Nickname | Chandu Champion |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Born | 1 November 1944 (1944-11) (age 81)[1] 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 | |
Murlikant Petkar (born 1 November 1944) is India's firstParalympic gold medalist. He won an individual gold medal in the1972 Summer Paralympics, inHeidelberg, Germany. He set a world record in the 50 mfreestyle swimming event, at 37.33 seconds. In the same games he participated injavelin throw, precision javelin throw, andwheelchair slalom. He was a finalist in all three events.[2][3] In 2018, he was awarded with thePadma Shri.[4] He was also awarded theArjuna Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2024, which was presented to him in January 2025.
Petkar was born inPeth Islampur village ofSangli district ofMaharashtra state.[5] Growing up, Petkar had a deep passion for sports, particularly boxing, a sport that demands not just physical strength but also mental fortitude. His talent in the ring quickly became evident, and it wasn’t long before theIndian Army took notice.[6] He was private orjawan of the craftsman rank in theCorps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) in theIndian Army.[7] He was disabled during the1965 war against Pakistan, sustaining severe bullet wounds. He faced 9 bullets, 8 of which were removed, but one had lodged deeply in his spine, disabling him from under the waist. He was admitted toINHS Asvini (anIndian Navy Hospital) inBombay. Before his disability,[8] Petkar was originally a boxer at EME,Secunderabad. After he got disabled, he switched to swimming and other sports.[9] He participated intable tennis at the1968 Summer Paralympics and cleared the first round. He won four medals inswimming.[10]
He was later employed byTELCO inPune. On the 20th March 2018, Murlikant was awarded the Padma Shri Award for his sports achievement.[10]
Chandu Champion is a Hindi-language sports drama film based on the life of Murlikant Petkar, directed byKabir Khan and enacted byKartik Aaryan.[11][12]
 Gold medalists |
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 Silver medalists |
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 Bronze medalists |
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