Dipa Karmakar is the first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for the Olympics and India’s first entry in the event since 1964. The 22-year-old gymnast secured the qualification for artistic gymnastics with a score of 52.698 points in the qualifier.
Early Days
Dipa started practicing gymnastics at the young age of 6. She had flat feet, as her coach Bisbeshwar Singh said in an interview. Flat feet is a postural deformity in which almost the entire sole of the foot touches the ground. The condition is not good for a gymnast as it affects the spring in their jump.
Hence, in the initial days of training, they worked on getting the curve on the feet of young Dipa. Her first major tournament was Junior Nationals in 2007. Since then, she has won 77 medals, including 67 golds in across state, national and international platform.
Dipa’s first big break was at 2011 National Games. Representing Tripura, she won five gold medals in floor, vault, all around, balance beam and uneven bar events.
2014 Commonwealth Games
Despite being a part of India’s gymnastic team at 2010 Commonwealth Games, Dipa was not able to leave a mark. Hence, she was determined to perform well at 2014 Commonwealth Games.
Dipa created history in July 2014 when she became the first Indian woman, and the second Indian, to win a Commonwealth gymnastic medal. She won a bronze medal in the women’s vault final with an overall score of 14.366.
Produnova Vault
The produnova vault is considered to be the toughest vault in gymnastics. It involves a front handspring and two front somersaults. If the gymnast lands on the wrong foot, it can have dangerous outcomes including an injury to the spine.
Dipa is one of the only five gymnasts in the world to have pulled it off. At 15.300, she currently holds the highest score for the event, making her feat rarest of the rare.
Mission Rio
Dipa Karmakar is currently focusing her entire energy on winning India’s first medal at artistic gymnastics in Rio. She reached the athletes’ village on Sunday and has been training hard since.
Want to know about her training schedule? Have a look.
The Quint wishes all the luck to Dipa for her Mission Rio.
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