| Personal information | |
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| Nationality | Indian |
| Born | (1968-07-06) 6 July 1968 (age 56) Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Paralympic racing |
Malathi Krishnamurthy Holla is an International para athlete from India. She was awarded Arjuna award and Padma Shri for her achievements.
She was born on 6 July 1968 in Bengaluru. Her father ran a small hotel, while her mother took care of their four children. Malathi was paralyzed by a fever when she was one year old. Electric shock treatment for more than two years improved her upper body strength.[1]
Having won over 428 medals Malathi was conferred the prestigious Arjuna and Padma Shri awards.[2] She represented India in the Paralympics held in South Korea, Barcelona, Athens and Beijing; the Asian Games held in Beijing, Bangkok, South Korea and Kuala Lumpur; World Masters held in Denmark and Australia, Commonwealth Games in Australia and Open Championships in Belgium, Kuala Lumpur and England.
Malathi has so far undergone 34 surgeries. She works as a Manager in Syndicate Bank and shelters 16 children with various disabilities at Mathru Foundation — a charitable trust formed along with her friends.[3] She focuses mainly on polio victims from rural areas, whose parents cannot afford to send their child to school or provide medical treatment.[1]
She launched her first authorized biography, A Different Spirit on 8 July 2009.[4]
“When I was small, I wanted to be first among my friends who used to run to the backyard to pick the fallen mangoes. I wanted to fly like a bird fearlessly from one place to another. But as I grew up I realised that you need legs to run and wings to fly. I was hurt, but I didn’t give up. I knew, one day, I would run…” says Malathi in the book.
“Thus I took up sports and decided to do something different in life. Yes, we are different and so even our lives should be a shining example of that difference,” she adds.
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