Deepa Malik, the first Indian woman to win a medal at the Paralympics, was named the Sportswoman of the Decade (Para Sports) at the 2021 Sportstar ACES Awards for her consistency and success across disciplines.
“The fact that the lineup of the jury is itself so legendary, for them to choose me to receive this Sportswoman of the Decade award – it can’t get any bigger. It was a journey that started to prove a point of ability beyond disability, but the fact that it would lead to this, it definitely makes my journey worth it and validates it,” said Deepa. “It is making me emotional because when we talk about the last decade, I am receiving this award in my home that I have been able to build only because of all my achievements in sports. This trophy coming to my new home is like the icing on the cake. It will inspire me to give back to sports and continue to serve para-sports and make India – the new India – inclusive through sports because that is the best medium to empower and create an identity for people with disabilities.”
Deepa began the decade by winning a bronze medal in the F33/34/52/53 women’s javelin throw at the 2010 Para Asian Games in Guangzhou, China. A year later, she won silver at the IPC World Championships in Christchurch, New Zealand, but in the shot put. At Incheon 2014, she bettered her previous Para Asian Games performance with silver in the javelin throw.
Deepa made history in 2016 when she won the silver medal in the F53 shot put event at the Rio Paralympics. Her dominance at the Asian Para Games then continued for a third successive edition as she clinched two bronze medals, in the F51/52/53 discus throw and the F53/F54 javelin throw event, at Jakarta 2018. In 2019, she was honoured with the country’s highest sporting honour, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.
The 2021 edition of the Sportstar ACES Awards honoured the Giants of the Decade in Indian sport, with the winners being assessing on their performance and consistency from 2011 to 2020. Eleven awards were presented under the popular choice category, which was open to public voting, along with 14 jury awards as well as special recognition awards under two new categories – Sports for Good and Giants off the Field – that recognise the work of organisations and individuals who have used sports for the betterment of society.
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