Deepa Malik

She has undertaken an 8-day, 1,700-km drive in sub-zero temperatures which included a climb to 18000 ft. It was – Raid De Himalaya.

This journey covers many difficult paths including remote Himalayas, Leh, Shimla and Jammu.

Deepa Malik (born 30 September 1970) is an Indian athlete.

She started her career at the age of 30.

Malik was born to Veena Nagpal and Bal Krishan Nagpal in 1970.

Her father was in the Indian Army.

Her brother, Vikram Nagpal, is a brigadier in the Indian Army.

Her elder daughter Devika is studying sports psychology.

At age 5, she was diagnosed with a spinal tumor for which she underwent three years of treatment.

The treatment was successful but Malik required aggressive physiotherapy to recover.

In 1999 at age 29, Malik was again diagnosed with spinal tumor.

She underwent three surgeries to successfully remove the tumor, but the surgeries left her paralyzed from the waist down.

Afterwards, she again underwent physiotherapy for six years.

After recovering, Malik began to develop an interest in sports.

She became a swimmer and a biker, and soon afterwards swam across the River Yamuna.

Deepa Malik is the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics.

She is also the first physically challenged individual in the country to receive an official rally license from the Federation of Motor Sports Club of India (FMSCI) and become a navigator and driver in the toughest car rallies of the country- Raid-de-HIMALAYA 2009 and Desert Storm 2010.

She is a member of the working group in the formulation 12th five-year plan (2012–2017) on sports and physical education as nominated by the Planning Commission HRD Division on behalf of the Sports Ministry.

She is also the 'Clean India' brand ambassador for NMDC and expert consultant for Disability Inclusive Accessible Infrastructure for the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs 'Smart Cities' project.

She was previously honored with the Arjuna award in 2012, at the age of 42 years.

Malik participated in the grid and national anthem ceremony at the start of the 2013 Indian Grand Prix at the Buddh International Circuit.

Her aim of joining motorsports is to spread awareness towards the fact that physically challenged individuals can obtain an official license and attain independence and self-reliance through driving.

Deepa Malik has undertaken numerous rallies to promote this cause.

Malik is married to Bikram Singh Malik, who proposed to her with a bike rather than a ring.

They bonded over a mutual love of sports.

"I had fallen in love with Bikram because he was a biker," said Malik of their relationship.

Singh Malik is a former colonel in the Indian Army.

Together, they have two daughters.

Aside from her sports career, Malik has pursued other interests as well.

She is the first Indian woman to win a medal in Paralympic Games and won a silver medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in shot put.

She won the silver medal in the shot put in 2016 Paralympic Games.

She has also been conferred the prestigious Padma Shri award in 2017.

She also won gold in the F-53/54 Javelin event at the para athletic Grand Prix held in Dubai in 2018.

She is currently the world number one in the F-53 category.

She has won accolades for her participation in various adventure sports.

She is associated with Himalayan Motorsports Association (H.M.A.) and Federation of Motor Sports Clubs of India (F.M.S.C.I.).

She created a New Asian Record in Asian Para Games 2018 and is the only Indian woman to win medals in 3 consecutive Asian Para Games (2010, 2014, 2018).

She has won 58 national and 23 international medals across all disciplines to date.She was the first woman to win medal in the Paralympics

Deepa Malik was one of the first persons to receive a license for an invalid (modified) rally vehicle, a case she consistently pursued for 19 months in Maharashtra.

In 2020, she was elected as President of the Paralympic Committee of India.