Here is all you need to know about Murlikant Petkar, an Indian freestyle swimmer along with his age, career, biography, records, achievements and more
It is finally out! The Chandu Champion poster for Kartik Aaryan’s next film. The movie is based on the real-life of Murlikant Petkar, the first Indian athlete to win a gold medal at the Olympics.
A superb athlete, Petkar was particularly good at hockey and wrestling but also excelled in other sports.
Meanwhile, Kartik took to his social media account to announce the stunning poster with the caption, “Champion Aa Raha Hai… Super excited and proud to share the first poster of the most challenging and special film of my career.”
Who is para-athlete Murlikant Petkar on whose real true life story Chandu Champion movie is based, biography, age, wife and disability
Now that everyone is talking about the movie, let us have a look at the man behind the inspiration.
Who is Murlikant Petkar?
79 year old Padma Shri Murlikant Petkar is a legendary Paralympic athlete, known for being the first Paralympic gold medalist in India. He was born on November 1, 1944, in the Peth Islampur region of Mumbai, Maharashtra.
He was disabled during the 1965 war against Pakistan after sustaining severe bullet wounds. Petkar was originally a boxer at EME, Secunderabad but after he was crippled he switched to swimming and other sports.
During the 1965 Indo-Pak war when Petkar sustained nine bullet injuries, resulting in permanent disability.
A look at Murlikant Petkar’s career
Murlikant Petkar won an individual gold medal at the 1972 Summer Paralympics in Heidelberg, Germany. He broke the world record in the 50-meter freestyle swimming event with a time of 37.33 seconds.
He competed in the precise javelin throw, slalom, and javelin at the same games. All three tournaments saw him make it to the finals. He received the Padma Shri award in 2018.
He served as an artisan-level jawan, or private, in the Indian Army’s Corps of Electronics and Mechanical Engineers (EME). He was left disabled by severe gunshot wounds he received during the 1965 war with Pakistan. Petkar began his career at EME in Secunderabad as a boxer. Disabled, he turned to swimming and other sports.
He made it to the 1968 Summer Paralympics table tennis competition’s first round. He brought home four medals from swimming. Later, he worked in Pune for TELCO.
He is a military hero as well in addition to becoming the first-ever gold medallist from India in the Paralympic Games.
He won the gold medal in the 50-meter freestyle swimming event at Heidelberg, Germany, in 1972, setting a new world record. And that after he had been shot multiple times, precisely nine times, during the 1965 India-Pakistan war.
Nevertheless, he persisted and went on to win more medals internationally, ranking this achievement among the greatest in Indian sports history.
Murlikant Petkar’s family
Murlikant Petkar has five siblings. He has a son named Arjun Petkar. Nothing about his wife is known.