India's Deepa Malik scripted history when she won the silver medal in the women's shotput F53 event at the Rio Paralympics on Monday, with a personal best throw of 4.61m.
With this herculean effort, she became India's first woman and oldest athlete to ever win a medal at the Paralympics.
Deepa started off with a throw of 4.26m, then registered 4.49 on her second attempt and 4.41m on the third. On her sixth throw, she recorded a personal best of of 4.61m, which ultimately helped her finish second.
"I want to use this medal to support women with disabilities in India. This journey has been wonderful for me and my entire family, I am proud to be the oldest athlete in the team and win a medal." 45-year old told IANS after her feat.
Deepa Malik with her silver medal at the Rio Paralympics 2016. Facebook/Deepa Malik
Spinal tumor to silver medal
Deepa is a paraplegic, paralysed from waist down. A spinal tumour confined her to a wheelchair 17 years ago, and she has been unable to walk since then. Deepa has two daughters, Devika and Ambika, and is married to Army officer Col Bikram Singh Malik.
"It was pretty depressing in the beginning but the love and support of my family made the process easy for me. The acceptance of your disability by your near and dear ones can make a lot of contribution to ones confidence," she told the Disability News and Information Service. "It made me look at life from a new window. I learned everything all over again, right from turning into a bed to sit, from having a bath to changing clothes. But the biggest challenge I faced was timing my bladder and water intake."
Entry into athletics
Her advent into sports began on a note of pure luck. "The Maharashtra Paralympic Sports Association had earlier seen me swimming. They asked me if I wanted to participate in the Nationals and that it was a sure shot medal because I was going to be the first one in my disability category. I could swim but I never knew that it was worth a medal," Disability News and Information Service quoted her as saying.
Most paraplegics in India have to deal with the insensitivity of people around them, which lends itself to a great story of battling the odds. For Deepa, a colonel's wife, such adulation was not as forthcoming due to the absence of a 'rags to riches' story. In an interview with Tehelka, she had said “People write me off because I’m an upper middle class colonel’s wife, because my story isn’t one of poverty and because I’m in my 40s.”
Stigma attached with disability
Deepa has spoken about the social stigma attached to disability. In an interview with The Guardian she had said, "There is still this pervasive religious view that if you are disabled, you have been cursed by the gods."
Dr V K Batish, the neurosurgeon who operated upon her at the Research and Referral Hospital of the armed forces at Delhi told The Indian Express, "In the 25 years that I've been a neurosurgeon, I have never come across a person like her. Deepa's recovery and her subsequent achievements are amazing. She's the kind who can teach doctors and the society at large."
Beyond sports
Deepa's distinctions in multiple sports, her various activities including 'Ability beyond Disability', her three Limca Book of World Records and her various medals in swimming at international competitions make her a unique athlete. She holds the Asian record in javelin throw, and also has World Championships silver medals in shot put and discus that she won in 2011.
Perhaps her most adventurous step till date would be the 3,000 km journey she took from Delhi to Leh and back on a specially enabled car. The hand-controlled vehicle would take her through the Rohtang pass up until the highest motorable pass in the world, the Khardung La, at an elevation of 5,359m, according to a report by The Times of India. This record is especially remarkable when we take into account that Deepa has no control over her bladder and bowel movement and also has no control of her body beneath her chest.
A paraplegic, paralysed from waist down, Deepa is married to an Army man and is a mother of two. The 45-year-old was consigned to the wheelchair 17 years ago after being operated for a spinal tumour.
She underwent 31 surgeries, which was healed after 183 stitches between her waist and legs.
“I am very happy to win this medal and I am so glad that I could do this for my country. I really want to thank my coaches and my trainers, Sports Authority of India, and the Sports Ministry for funding my training so beautifully.
“I also want to thank my husband for being my skill trainer and my daughters for being my strength and motivation. I am so eager to come back to India,” she said.
Deepa had won national and international medals in swimming, before switching to athletics in 2009.
“I was the first biker, first swimmer, first rallyist (rally driver) and I am going to be the first Paralympian medallist. This is huge. I give it to my daughters. I give it to my husband, my trainer, my country. I am so excited,” she said.
Deepa might even have taken the gold, but for a mighty third throw of 4.76m from Bahrain’s Fatema Nedham, which was a regional record. Dimitra Korokida claimed the bronze for Greece with an effort of 4.28m.
In 2009 Deepa became the first person with paraplegia to ride in one of the world’s highest and most difficult motor rallies in the Himalayas.
Deepa’s success comes after two Indian men – high jumpers Mariyappan Thangavelu and Bhati Varun Singh – won gold and bronze respectively at the Olympic Stadium on Friday.
Deepa hoped that her achievements would inspire others to beat adversity.
“This is very significant. I hope my journey and the medal can serve as an inspiration for differently-abled individuals to break out from their social boundaries and pursue their dreams,” she said.
“I remember when I first had the tumour all those years back, people thought I would be restricted to my house throughout my life with servants looking after my daily needs,” she added.
Deepa said she always wanted to be independent despite her disability.
“…I wanted to break out from that mould and took to swimming, motorsports and eventually javelin and shot put. My goal was to become independent despite my disability and today due to sport and the support of my family, I very much am an independent individual,” she said.
Although Deepa’s Paralympic performance will always be the pinnacle of her sporting career, she’s no stranger to winning awards and accolades for her country.
In 2012 she was the oldest recipient to be honoured with the Arjuna Award at the age of 42. And she clinched a Para Asian Games medal in 2014 in Incheon.
In the run up to the games at Rio, she also won a gold medal in Javelin Throw at the IPC Oceania Asian Championships in Doha and a silver medal in Shotput at the same event.
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