Amedabad, August 16: Padma Shri Deepa Malik was present at the VIVO Pro Kabaddi League Season 7 on the occasion of India's 73rd Independence Day as Jaipur Pink Panthers beat Puneri Paltan in Ahmedabad.
The 48-year-old Malik was the first Indian woman to win a medal in the Paralympic Games. She won the medal for shot-put at the Rio games in 2016. She also won the gold in the F-53/54 javelin throw category at the 2018 Para Athletics Grand Prix in Dubai.
Ms. Malik was invited as the guest for the Gujarat leg on August 15 and she sang the national anthem to celebrate the 73rd Independence day before the match stated. Thereafter, she witnessed the Jaipur Pink Panthers crush Puneri Paltan by a scoreline of 33-25.
Singing National Anthem on #IndependenceDay2019 at d opening of #prokabaddi. honored 2 create a love 4 sports - indirectly celebrate @Paralympics thru out d world as @StarSportsIndia is widely watched channel..#InclusiveSports #NewIndia @narendramodi @AmitShah @KirenRijiju pic.twitter.com/7H4fSRAgIX
— Deepa Malik (@DeepaAthlete) August 16, 2019
She also had an anxious fan in Jaipur Pink Panthers owner Abhishek Bachchan, who met her post his team's victory against Puneri Paltan.
Raise your hands if @JaipurPanthers have impressed you in #VIVOProkabaddi Season 7! 🙌
— ProKabaddi (@ProKabaddi) August 15, 2019
Keep watching LIVE action on Star Sports and Hotstar.#IsseToughKuchNahi #JAIvPUN pic.twitter.com/OIjaOwJoEO
Currently, Ms. Malik is the world number one in the under-53 category. After her win in Rio, she found herself without a sport when the shot put and javelin in the F-53 category was removed from the 2020 Paralympics games in Tokyo. So, she has opted out of the 2020 games.