‘Making Olympic cut will be difficult’
Mumbai:
Dipa Karmakar caught the nation’s imagination at the Rio Olympics in 2016, finishing fourth in the vault event. However, post that magnificent feat, the gymnast from Tripura has spent a significant amount of time nursing injuries that resulted in her pulling out of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and also not being able to compete in the final of the Jakarta Asiad last year.
However, she was back in form towards the close of 2018, winning bronze at the World Cup in Cottbus, Germany. The 25-year-old is now aiming to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the first available opportunity and also do well at the World Championships scheduled to take place in Stuttgart, Germany, in October.
Dipa spent the first three weeks of the new year, training at a brand new gymnasium near Kalyan on the outskirts of Mumbai and is happy with the sessions she had there in the company of her coach Bishweshwar Nandi. “The Aakar gym in Bapgaon has world-class Spieth equipment. It is among the top training centres in the country today so I opted to train there,” Dipa told TOI, ahead of launching her biography, Dipa Karmakar, The Small Wonder, at a city hotel on Tuesday. “Equipment of the same make will be used at the World Championships, so I am happy I could get a feel of it,” she added.
Elaborating on the Olympic qualification process, Dipa said it was going to be extremely challenging. “There have been several rule changes when it comes to Olympic qualifications and it has become extremely difficult. There has been a reduction in quota places. On the other hand, this will benefit the traditional gymnastics powerhouses like USA and Russia. For those like us who struggle to make the cut, it’s going to be even tougher.
“For example, only the winner of every apparatus at the eight World Cups is guaranteed a place at the Olympics. Apart from that, there are a host of other rules in place,” she explained.
Dipa may have become the face of gymnastics in India after her exploits in Rio, but the health of the sport here is not very encouraging. And Dipa feels members in the gymnastics federation should only think about the wellbeing of the sport.
“First of all, the gymnastics Nationals should be held urgently because it’s difficult for gymnasts to progress if they are not competing. Not everyone can reach international levels if they don’t get exposure. Also, camps should be held regularly. And whatever problems are there in the federation should be resolved for the betterment of gymnastics,” she said.
Mumbai:
Dipa Karmakar caught the nation’s imagination at the Rio Olympics in 2016, finishing fourth in the vault event. However, post that magnificent feat, the gymnast from Tripura has spent a significant amount of time nursing injuries that resulted in her pulling out of the Commonwealth Games in Gold Coast and also not being able to compete in the final of the Jakarta Asiad last year.
However, she was back in form towards the close of 2018, winning bronze at the World Cup in Cottbus, Germany. The 25-year-old is now aiming to qualify for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics at the first available opportunity and also do well at the World Championships scheduled to take place in Stuttgart, Germany, in October.
Dipa spent the first three weeks of the new year, training at a brand new gymnasium near Kalyan on the outskirts of Mumbai and is happy with the sessions she had there in the company of her coach Bishweshwar Nandi. “The Aakar gym in Bapgaon has world-class Spieth equipment. It is among the top training centres in the country today so I opted to train there,” Dipa told TOI, ahead of launching her biography, Dipa Karmakar, The Small Wonder, at a city hotel on Tuesday. “Equipment of the same make will be used at the World Championships, so I am happy I could get a feel of it,” she added.
Elaborating on the Olympic qualification process, Dipa said it was going to be extremely challenging. “There have been several rule changes when it comes to Olympic qualifications and it has become extremely difficult. There has been a reduction in quota places. On the other hand, this will benefit the traditional gymnastics powerhouses like USA and Russia. For those like us who struggle to make the cut, it’s going to be even tougher.
“For example, only the winner of every apparatus at the eight World Cups is guaranteed a place at the Olympics. Apart from that, there are a host of other rules in place,” she explained.
Dipa may have become the face of gymnastics in India after her exploits in Rio, but the health of the sport here is not very encouraging. And Dipa feels members in the gymnastics federation should only think about the wellbeing of the sport.
“First of all, the gymnastics Nationals should be held urgently because it’s difficult for gymnasts to progress if they are not competing. Not everyone can reach international levels if they don’t get exposure. Also, camps should be held regularly. And whatever problems are there in the federation should be resolved for the betterment of gymnastics,” she said.
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