Dipa Karmakar, the trendsetter, clinched gold medal in the Women’s Vault event at the Asian Senior Championships at Tashkent in Uzbekistan.
Gymnast Dipa Karmakar, has achieved the rare feat of becoming the first Indian to win a gold medal at the Asian Senior Championships. She was eighth with 12.650 in the qualification. But she scored an identical 13.566 in her two attempts for an overall 13.566 in the vault final.
Karmakar was followed by Kim Son Hyang (13.466, after a penalty of 0.100) and Jo Kyong Byol (12.966), both from North Korea.
Dipa, made history in the 2016 Rio Olympics when she finished fourth in the vault final and narrowly missed out on a medal. This gold is Dipa’s second medal in the Asian Championships.
She won bronze in Hiroshima in 2015. The other Indian medallists at the Asian Championships are-
- 2006, Surat – Ashish Kumar won bronze in individual floor exercise final
- 2019, Ulaanbaatar – Pranati Nayak won bronze in vault individual final
- 2022, Doha – Pranati Nayak won bronze in vault individual final
Dipa Karmakar spoke about a career-threatening injury she sustained in 2019 during the World Cup in Baku. But her passion for gymnastics remained undeterred.
She returned to gymnastics last year after a 21-month suspension for a doping offense. She is out of contention for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
After winning her gold medal, Dipa said, “Of course, not being able to qualify for the Olympics was disappointing. But now I want to enjoy this moment.”
Mahindra Group Chairman, Anand Mahindra highlighted Dipa’s achievement in his X handle. He praised Karmakar’s spirit of perseverance despite numerous challenges.
He wrote, “It was the love for the sport, she said, which keeps her going. And yesterday she became the first Indian gymnast to win gold at the prestigious Asian championship, topping the podium in women’s vault. Keep Rising, Dipa…” he wrote.
