Murlikant Petkar: Age, Height, Wife, Family, Biography

Murlikant Petkar is a famous Indian Freestyle swimmer who is also known as India’s first Paralympic Gold Medalist. He was a Jawan of the craftsman rank in the Indian Army. Petkar was married to Suamn Petkar, his support system throughout the journey. Check out his life journey from the Army to the Paralympics of Murlikant Petkar from here.

Murlikant Petkar’s Biography

People can see Murlikant Petkar information about his birthday, nationality, schooling, education, cricket career, and other basic information from the table mentioned below:

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Who is Murlikant Petkar?

Murlikant Petkar was born on November 1, 1944. he is crowned with the tag of the first person from India to win a gold medal in the Paralympics. Petkar won that gold medal at the 1972 Paralympics in Germany. He won in a swimming race, the 50-meter freestyle, and even set a world record.

At the same Paralympics, he also competed in throwing javelins and racing in a wheelchair. He reached the final round in all of those events. In 2018, the Indian government gave him the Padma Shri award, which is a very high honor.

Murlikant Petkar’s Early Life

Murlkant Petkar was born in the region of Sangli, Maharashtra. While growing up, Petkar had a deep passion for sports, particularly boxing, a sport that demands not just physical strength but also mental fortitude. 

Murlikant Petkar and Army Life

Petkar’s talent in the ring quickly became evident, and it wasn’t long before the Indian Army took notice. He was then a private or jawan of the craftsman rank in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) in the Indian Army.

Unfortunately, Petkar was disabled during the 1965 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 then admitted to INHS Asvini (an Indian Navy Hospital) in Bombay. Before his disability, Petkar was originally a boxer at EME, Secunderabad.

Murlikant Petkar Para Olympics Journey

When Murlikant Petkar got disabled, he switched to swimming and other sports. There he participated in table tennis at the 1968 Summer Paralympics and cleared the first round. Petkar won four medals in swimming. He was later employed by TELCO in Pune. On the 20th March 2018, Murlikant was awarded the Padma Shri Award for his sports achievement. 

Murlikant Petkar Bipoic

Indian Bollywood Cinema has released the biographical movie on Murlikant Petkar, named as Chandu Champion which is a Hindi-language sports drama directed by Kabir Khan and enacted by Kartik Aaryan.

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Medals Won by Murlikant Petkar

1. Gold at the Summer Paralympics, held in Heidelberg, Germany in 1972
2. A Gold medal in 50-metre freestyle swimming, a Silver in javelin throw, and a Bronze in shot-put at the 3rd Commonwealth Paraplegic Games at Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1970
3. Raksha Medal in 1965
4. Gold at the Stoke Mandeville International Paraplegic Meet in 1969
5. Gold at the Stoke Mandeville International Paraplegic Meet in 1971

Awards Won by Murlikant Petkar

Following are the list of awards won by Murlikant Petkar:

1. Best Swimmer Shield by Gen Manekshaw then Chief of Army Staff of Artificial Limb Centre Pune in 1971
2. General Championship Cup for five consecutive years (1969-73)
3. Shiv Chhatrapati Award by the Government of Maharastra in 1975 (This was the first award given to a disabled athlete in India)
4.  Honoured by the President of All India Mayors Council, Mr Thorat for being the National Champion for 7 Years straight (1968-76) and felicitated on 26 January 1976 in Pune
5.  Honoured by the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME) in 2018
6. Padma Shri Award by former President Ram Nath Kovind on 21 March 2018
7. Arjuna Award by President Droupadi Murmu on 17 January 2025

Murlikant Petkar Wife

Information regarding Murlikant Petkar’s wife is largely kept private. While it is known that he is married, details about her are not widely publicized.

Recent discussions surrounding the biopic “Chandu Champion” have shed some light on the choice to exclude his wife from the film’s narrative. As explained by the film’s writer, the story’s focus was on Petkar’s journey up to his 1972 Paralympic victory. Furthermore, they have stated that he was married after the time frame that the film covers. Therefore, the choice to exclude her was a concious one made by the film makers.

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How is Sushant Singh Rajput Connected With Murlikant Petkar?

Sushant Singh Rajput was very interested in making a biopic about Murlikant Petkar’s life. Sushant was deeply passionate about telling Murlikant Petkar’s inspiring story on film. He had even begun work on a biopic, filming approximately 10-15% of it. Sushant used to spent time with Murlikant Petkar to understand his experiences and achievements.

What happened with Murlikant Petkar?

In 1965, Murlikant Petkar was sleeping in an army camp in Kashmir. Suddenly, a whistle blew. He thought it was time for tea. But it was a warning of an attack by Pakistani soldiers. He ran out of his tent and saw the attack. He tried to go back inside, but they were already shooting. He was shot nine times and then a military truck ran over him. This left his legs paralyzed, and a bullet stayed stuck in his spine for the rest of his life

Lesser Known Facts on Murlikant Petkar

1. Since childhood,Murlikant Petkar was driven to sports, excelling particularly in wrestling, athletics, and hockey.
2. At a young age, Murlikant Petkar got fortunate to join the Indian Army as a private or jawan in the Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME). While serving in the army, he actively took part in different service sports events. In 1969, he received a discharge from the Indian Army.

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