It takes effort and resilience to come back when written off by carping critics. On Sunday, Dipa Karmakar showed the fire is still there in her belly as she won a historic gold medal in the vault at the Asian Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tashkent on Sunday.
With 60 days to go for the start of the Paris Olympics, there is excitement in the air. Hang on, hold your horses, this win does not mean Dipa is in the reckoning for an entry into the draw for the Paris Games. According to Bishweshwar Nandi, her coach, she is “second on the waiting list.”
The gymnast and coach are headed back to India today, and for those who follow gymnastics, Dipa returning to form is happy news. “I can’t say how happy I am, this performance has come after surgeries,” Dipa was quoted as saying to the media.
As one who does not talk much to the fourth estate, even that one quote says a lot. It seems like yesterday that she was literally pleading with the authorities at the Sports Authority of India (SAI) that she be included in the squad for the Asian Games in Hangzhou. However, as Dipa was making a comeback after a 21-month suspension for a doping violation, the rule book was thrown at her. She stayed in India even as other gymnasts went to Hangzhou.
In Tashkent, Dipa, 30, who was eighth in the qualification phase, had an overall 13.566 points in the final. Behind her were two girls from North Korea, Kim Song-hyang and Jo Kyong-byol.
Coach Nandi, who has been with Dipa for a very long time, was very excited that the girl who stole the show at the Rio Olympics in 2016, when she finished fourth in the vault, is back in her element. “I am very satisfied with this gold and it’s a big win for Indian sports,” he said.
On qualification for Paris, Nandi was non-committal. “We will continue to prepare but right now she is in the reserves,” he said. Given the complexities of the qualification criteria for Paris and how Dipa had missed so many competitions in the build-up, the road looks tough.
More than anything else, though, this win is a big psychological boost for her. More than five years ago, she was out in the wilderness after her knee surgery and rehab did not result in prime fitness. She strove hard but the knee was creating problems. During those dark days, Dipa was alone and her only comfort was her coach.
Even when this writer tried to engage her on her comeback in 2019, her answers were in monosyllables. “Nandi Sir makes all the decisions for me, good or bad,” she had said back then.
Perhaps, it is this faith which is behind Dipa’s resurgence. She may be a long shot for Paris, but to win two medals at the Asian Championships is a big deal. Her first had come in 2015 when the meet was held in Hiroshima. Now, after years of being forgotten, this second medal has put the girl who won millions of hearts in Rio right back in the spotlight.
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