Gymnast Dipa Karmakar returned to India after clinching gold in the vault event at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Cup Challenge Cup in Ankara, Turkey. She is among the only five women in the history to have successfully performed Produnova, the vault of death. One among them is Yelena Produnova after whom it is named.
Responding to the wishes, Dipa took to Twitter and dedicated the medal to those who stood by her and gave never-ending support in her journey. “This medal is for everyone who never stopped believing in me! Thank you @Media_SAI, Gymnastic Federation of India, Anant Joshi Sir, @GoSportsVoices, my physio Sajad bhai, Tripura Govt, Nandi sir and @merakiconnect for the endless support and encouragement,” she wrote on the micro-blogging site.
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Earlier, PM Modi congratulated Karmakar for her efforts and wrote on Twitter, “India is proud of @DipaKarmakar! Congratulations to her on winning a well-deserved Gold in the vault event at the FIG World Challenge Cup in Mersin, Turkey. This win is a prime example of her tenacity and never-say-die attitude.”
The 24-year-old, who had acquired the fourth spot in the vault event of the 2016 Rio Olympics, scored 14.150 to secure the top position in the tournament and topped the qualification for FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup with a score of 13.400.
Her name has been included in the 10-member Indian gymnastics team for the Asian Games, which are slated to begin from August 18.