Dipa Karmakar secures bronze in vault event in Artistic Gymnastics World Cup

Dipa Karmakar gave India fans plenty to cheer as she secured the bronze medal in the vault event of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup event in Cottbus, Germany. Karmakar scored 14.316 to secure the bronze in the tournament, which is also a part of the eight-event qualifying system for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. However, in the balance beam event, the Tripura athlete did not finish well. The Cottbus meet is part of an eight-event qualifying system  for the 2020 Olympics, under which the gymnasts will make the cut based on the their top three scores. Speaking on Karmakar’s achievement, Gymnastics Federation of India vice-president Riyaz Ahmed Bhati said the Olympics qualification goal has come nearer.

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“Karmakar has done well in the first tournament. She will be travelling to two more events out of Australia, Doha and Baku. But this event was the toughest,” Bhati said.

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The 25-year-old has been plagued by a knee injury which she sustained in the Asian Artistic Gymnastics in Bangkok, Thailand. Karmakar underwent corrective surgery on her anterior cruciate ligament in April and was unable to participate throughout the season. Karmakar missed out on the 2018 Commonwealth Games. Although she had regained fitness, her coach Bisweshwar Nandi said her lengthy rehabilitation process resulted in her restricted training. Nandi said she was not yet ready fitness wise for the tournament.

However, Karmakar created history in July 2018 as she won the gold medal in the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup at Mersin, Turkey. Karmakar became the first Indian gymnast to win the gold medal in a world event. In the same competition, she reached the finals of the balance beam event where she finished a credible fourth.

Karmakar was in confident mood heading into the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta but in one of the practice sessions ahead of women’s qualification for team and apparatus finals, she hurt her right knee and she was forced to pull out of the final.