Deepa Malik awarded New Zealand PM's Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship
2016 Summer Paralympics silver medalist Deepa Malik has been bestowed with New Zealand PM’s Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship on Thursday. Malik, who won the silver medal in the shot put F53 event, will now strive towards improving the sporting as well as the cultural bond between India and New Zealand.
Arjuna awardee Deepa Malik has been chosen as the recipient of the coveted New Zealand PM’s Sir Edmund Hillary fellowship on Thursday. Mailk is the first Indian woman to win a medal in the Paralympic Games after she won a Silver medal at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in shot put. She has also won gold in F-53/54 Javelin event at the para athletic grand Prix held in Dubai in 2018 and is currently the world number one in the F-53 category.Â
"We are very pleased to announce that the New Zealand Prime Minister's Sir Edmund Hillary Fellowship for 2019 has been awarded to Indian Paralympic athlete Deepa Malik. The fellowship, awarded by Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern, aims to strengthen the ties between India and New Zealand.
"It gives us great pleasure to award this fellowship to someone who exemplifies two values that make a great sportsperson: courage and a can-do attitude. In Deepa, we see an inspiring achiever who can confidently and proudly carry forward our message of inclusivity and the pursuit of excellence," " a New Zealand High Commission said as per PTI sources.
The 48-year-old Padma Shri award recipient will work to promote sporting, cultural as
"I feel absolutely humbled and blessed to be able to represent the essence of India, for the bilateral relationship between the two countries. Prime Minister Ardern's leadership is such an inspiration to the world and resonates with Indian values.
"Having won my first major medal, a silver in F53 women's shot put at the IPC World Para Athletics Championship 2011 in Christchurch, I have always had a special connect with New Zealand and its Paralympics fraternity and I happily accept this purposeful association on behalf of my fellow citizens of India," Deepa told PTI reporters.