“There are no short cuts to success in sports. It is your hard work and determination that makes you win,” Paralympics silver medallist Deepa Malik said here recently.
She was speaking to presspersons when she visited the Gurudwara Guru Nanak Jhira here.
Ms. Malik battled a debilitating spinal problem at the age of 29. Despite repeated surgeries, she has lost sensitivity below her waist. “My passion for sports has not dimmed though,” the 45-year-old athlete said.
Working in a restaurant after her recovery, she was introduced to adventure sports by the bikers and car riders of her town. She started training in various sports, but chose athletics. She won the silver in the world shotput and discuss throw championships in 2011.
She had to face a legal battle when she was selected over a competitor who was 21 years her junior. “But then I made the selection committee proud by throwing the shotput 4.61 metres, all while sitting on the wheelchair,” she said.
She feels sports helps young people become more confident. “Sports teach us to learn from failure and better our successes. We have to realise that each one of us should find our own way to happiness. Mine has been through sports,” she said.
Her husband is a former defence officer. Her elder daughter, Devika, is a researcher, while her younger daughter Ambika is pursuing her MBA.
Ms. Malik planned her Bidar trip to thank Bidar bikers like Jaspreet Singh Saini who prayed for her success in the Rio Olympics.
