India at the 1972 Summer Paralympics

Template:Infobox country at games India competed at the 1972 Summer Paralympics held in Heidelberg from 2 to 11 August 1972. The nation made its official debut at the last Paralympic Games in 1968. This was India's second consecutive appearance at the Summer Games for the disabled. India sent a contingent consisting of ten athletes for the Games and won a single gold medal.

Background

The ninth International Stoke Mandville Games was later designated as the first Paralympics in 1960 and the International Stoke Mandeville Games Federation organized the 1972 Games. India made its Paralympics debut in the previous Games in 1968. India sent ten competitors including seven males and three females.

Medalist

India won its first ever Paralympic medal when Murlikant Petkar won the gold medal in the men's 50 meter freestyle event.

Medal	Name	Sport	Event
File:Gold medal Paralympics.svg Gold	Murlikant Petkar	Swimming	Men's 50 m freestyle 3

Competitors

The Indian contingent for the Games consisted of ten athletes who competed across five sports.

Sport	Men	Women	Total
File:Archery pictogram (Paralympics).svg Archery	0	1	1
File:Athletics pictogram (Paralympics).svg Athletics	6	2	8
File:Swimming pictogram (Paralympics).svg Swimming	1	0	1
File:Table tennis pictogram (Paralympics).svg Table tennis	2	0	2
File:Powerlifting pictogram.svg Weightlifting	1	0	1
Total	7Template:Efn	3	10Template:Efn

Archery

Athlete	Event	Score	Rank
Patel	Women's St. Nicholas round paraplegic	31	8

Athletics

Track

Athlete	Event	Heat		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Chandrashekhar	Men's 100 m 2	1:28.40	22	colspan="2" Template:N/a
Magan Gina	Men's 100 m 3	48.80	41	colspan="2" Template:N/a
Murlikant Petkar	Men's slalom 3	colspan="2" Template:N/a	1:20.10	26

Field

Athlete	Event	Result	Points	Rank
Diwan	Men's shot put 2	2.72	Template:N/a	24
Makandi	Men's shot put 4	4.25	Template:N/a	36
	Men's precision javelin open	Template:N/a	1	68
Murlikant Petkar		Template:N/a	26	55
	Men's javelin 3	15.07	Template:N/a	15
	Men's shot put 3	6.20	Template:N/a	12
Patel	Women's precision javelin open	Template:N/a	12	51
	Women's javelin 3	6.08	Template:N/a	30
	Women's shot put 3	2.88	Template:N/a	30
Poudwal	Men's javelin 5	8.10	Template:N/a	26
	Men's shot put 5	3.95	Template:N/a	28
Shehrnaz Kermani	Women's precision javelin open	Template:N/a	27	41
	Women's discus throw 3	7.43	Template:N/a	27
	Women's javelin 3	7.05	Template:N/a	26
	Women's shot put 3	3.31	Template:N/a	27

Swimming

Murlikant Petkar became the first Indian Paralympic medalist when he won a gold medal in swimming. Hailing from Maharashtra, he was part of the Indian Army. He was injured in the 1965 India-Pakistan War when he was hit by multiple bullets. He started swimming as an exercise to improve mobility in the injured leg muscles. He set a new World Record when he won the gold medal in the freestyle 3 event. He was awarded the Padma Shri, India's third highest civilian honor for his achievement.

Athlete	Event	Heat		Final
		Result	Rank	Result	Rank
Murlikant Petkar	Men's 50 m freestyle 3	colspan="2" Template:N/a	37.33	Template:Gold1

Table tennis

Athlete/Team	Event	Group Stage			Quarterfinals	Semifinals	Final / Template:Abbr
		Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Rank	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Opposition Result	Rank
India	Men's teams 3	Template:FlagIPC L 0–3	Template:FlagIPC L 0–3	3	colspan="4" Template:N/a

Weightlifting

Athlete	Event	Result	Rank
Makandi	Men's featherweight	75	6