India’s first-ever girl Paralympic medallist, shot-putter Deepa Malik believes the nation’s medal depend shall be in double digits on the Tokyo Video games subsequent 12 months.
“At Rio we had doubled the medals, we had been a squad of 19. We had two gold, a silver and a bronze. In 2018 (Asian Para Video games), we had been a squad of 194 and gained 72 medals. It has already set the benchmark,” Malik instructed paddler Mudit Dani throughout his chat present, ‘In The Sportlight’.
“The sensational factor about Tokyo subsequent 12 months shall be India bagging Paralympics medals in double digits,” added the 49-year-old, who had claimed a silver at Rio de Janeiro in 2016.
Malik, who additionally has a silver medal from the IPC World Championships, has by no means let her incapacity are available in the way in which of her ardour.
She had taken inspiration from the injured troopers of the Kargil struggle when, in 1999, she was instructed that she would wish a surgical procedure to take away a spinal tumour.
“The hospital to which I used to be taken for my surgical procedure was filled with struggle casualties. I believe that instantly turned my inspiration. If these wholesome younger males had been shedding a limb of their line of responsibility, then I’ve no motive to crib simply because I’ve a illness,” she recounted.
Malik had gained the silver in Rio after throwing the shot put at a distance of 4.61m.
She was just lately elected because the president of the Paralympic Committee of India.