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CHENNAI: The two-and-a-half somersaults before landing – it may sound easy but on the vault it could be dangerous. Considered one of the most difficult routines in gymnastics, the Produnova could be fatal if not clinically executed. For Dipa Karmakar, this form defines her. So much has this become integral to her gymnastic routine, that she slowly earned the moniker, Produnova Girl.
Dipa reached the zenith at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. She became the talking point. For a gymnast hailing from a remote corner in India (Agartala in Tripura) where gymnastics is not even in their collective consciousness, this was a remarkable journey. Even the great Simon Biles acknowledged. "She is special. I wouldn’t have tried to do that (the Produnova). It’s insane," she had said after winning another of her medal in vault on August 14, 2016, during the Olympics.
The scores were a testament to Dipa’s prodigious talent, almost freakish. Biles' two jumps fetched her 15.900 and 16.033, for an average of 15.966. Maria Paseka of Russia was second with 15.253 and Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber third with 15.216. Dipa was 0.15 points behind the Swiss. Dipa was the first Indian to be at the Olympics and first in the final and the only one to finish fourth until now.
Life had not been very easy for Dipa in the last ‘five years’. She had struggled. The years were peppered with two surgeries, a doping suspension and despite being the No 1 gymnast was not considered for the Asian Games. Yet it was not until she won gold at the nationals that she wanted to say goodbye to a sport she loved.
Coached by Bishweshwar Nandi, Dipa had a very modest beginning. There were no fancy cushions to land. There were no proper equipment. Yet, she excelled in a sport where India struggled. Like all good things, even her career had to come to an end.
“I have realised my body is not responding as it was earlier,” said Dipa from Agartala. “Response nehi kar raha hai,” she repeated, emphasising on the words. Once the body doesn’t respond, she knows, for a gymnast it’s the end. She sounded philosophical when she said “whatever begins has to end.”
“My body is not allowing me to do things I used to do earlier but I think about this positively and believe whatever happens, happens for good,” she said. “I am thinking very positively about this.”
Dipa’s first brush with history was during the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow where she won bronze becoming the first Indian to win a medal in gymnastics. Looking back she said that each epochal moment in her career has its own importance. “Each of the moments has its own charm,” she said. “It feels good that I have been part of history in each of the Games (Commonwealth and Asian). I hope this inspires the new generation of gymnasts to break my record and win medals.” She thanked her parents and coach for supporting her throughout.
Dipa is proud of being associated with one coach throughout her career. “You must have seen many athletes who change their coaches, but I have trained with the same coach (Nandi sir) since childhood,” she said. “Initially I had a coach during the formative years and I have been with Nandi sir for the last 22 years. This is also an achievement!”
The 31-year-old gymnast is hoping she can help the youngsters after retirement. Of course, she is also a bit distressed to see that there is a lack of bench strength at the moment. “I would really want someone to break my record and take gymnastics to the next level,” she said. “Another big thing I managed was maintaining my ranking. Since becoming No 1 in the country, I have managed to remain at the top and that’s not easy.
Sometimes fitness levels don’t allow but still I tried to remain on the top.”
Dipa would love to start coaching. “In the future, I would love to coach youngsters and help them perform well,” she said. “I want to share my international experience with them so that they do well. If coaching helps them then definitely I would like to do it.”
With Dipa as a coach, who knows the next Produnova Girl may come out of her cradle?