Dipa Karmakar

Dipa Karmakar
Personal information
Full nameDipa Karmakar
Country representedIndia
Born (1993-08-09) 9 August 1993 (age 31)[1]
Agartala, Tripura, India
HometownAgartala, Tripura[2]
Height151 cm (4 ft 11 in)[3]
Weight47 kg (104 lb)[3]
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
Head coach(es)Bishweshwar Nandi
Medal record
Representing  India
Women's artistic gymnastics
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2018 Mersin Vault
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Cottbus Vault
Commonwealth Games
Bronze medal – third place 2014 Glasgow Vault
Asian Championships
Gold medal – first place 2024 Tashkent Vault[4]
Bronze medal – third place 2015 Hiroshima Vault

Dipa Karmakar (born 9 August 1993)[1] is an Indian former artistic gymnast.[5] She is the first Indian female gymnast to compete at the Olympic Games. At the 2016 Olympics, in the vault event, she missed a medal by just 0.15 points.[6] Karmakar is one of only five women in the world to have mastered the Produnova vault.[7] In 2024, she announced her retirement from gymnastics.[8]

Karmakar first gained attention when she won a bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow,[9] becoming the first Indian female gymnast to do so in the history of the Games.[10] She also won a bronze at the Asian Championships and finished fifth at the 2015 World Championships, both firsts for any Indian athlete.

Karmakar represented India at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, becoming the first Indian female gymnast ever to compete in the Olympics.[6][5] She was also the first Indian gymnast in any discipline to compete at the Olympics since the 1964 Summer Olympics 52 years ago.[11] Karmakar finished fourth in the vault in Rio, with an overall score of 15.066.[12]

In July 2018, she became the first Indian gymnast to win a gold medal at a global event, when she finished first in the vault event of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup at Mersin, Turkey.[13]

She is one of the only five women who have successfully landed the Produnova, which is regarded as one of the most difficult vaults of those currently being performed in women's gymnastics.[14]

She is a recipient of the Padma Shri, the fourth highest civilian award in the Republic of India.[15] For her performance in Rio Olympics 2016, the Government of India conferred upon her the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award in August 2016.[16]

Early life and career

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Hailing from Agartala in Tripura, Karmakar started her school life and education in Abhoynagar Nazrul Smriti Vidyalaya; she started practising gymnastics when she was only 6 years old and has been coached by Soma Nandi & Bishweshwar Nandi since.[17][18]

When she began gymnastics, Karmakar had flat feet, an undesirable physical trait in a gymnast because it affects their performance. Through extensive training, she was able to develop an arch in her foot.[19]

In 2008, she won the Junior Nationals in Jalpaiguri. Since 2007, Karmakar has won 77 medals, including 67 gold, in state, national and international championships.[20] She was part of the Indian gymnastics contingent at the 2010 Commonwealth Games in Delhi, India, Asia.

Senior career

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Early career (2011–2013)

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In February, Karmakar competed in the 2011 National Games of India, representing Tripura. She won gold medals in the all-around and all four events: floor, vault, balance beam and uneven bars.[21][22]

Commonwealth and Asian medals and WC finals (2014–2015)

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In July, at the 2014 Commonwealth Games, Karmakar won a bronze medal in the women's vault final, thanks largely to her Produnova vault, which had a difficulty value of 7.00. She received an average two-vault score of 14.366.[23] She became the first Indian woman to win a Commonwealth Games gymnastics medal, and the second Indian overall, after Ashish Kumar.[24]

At the 2014 Asian Games, Karmakar finished fourth in the vault final with a score of 14.200, behind Hong Un-jong, Oksana Chusovitina, and Phan Thị Hà Thanh.[25]

At the Asian Championships, held in Hiroshima from 31 July – 2 August, Karmakar won the bronze in the women's vault while finishing 8th on the balance beam.[26]

In October 2015, Karmakar became the first Indian gymnast to qualify for a final stage at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.[27] She scored 14.900 on vault in the qualification round[28] to secure her place for the finals, where she finished 5th with a two-vault average of 14.683.

2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships

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Round Rank Total Score 1 Difficulty Execution Penalty Score 2 Difficulty Execution Penalty
Qualification 7 14.900 15.100 7.000 8.100 0.00 14.700 6.000 8.700 0.00
Final 5 14.683 15.300 7.000 8.300 0.00 14.066 6.000 8.366 -0.300

Rio Olympics and further (2016–present)

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Further information: Gymnastics at the 2016 Summer Olympics

On 10 August 2016 at the 2016 Olympic Test Event, Karmakar became the first female gymnast from India to qualify for the final vault event at the Olympics, with a score of 14.833. She missed out on the bronze medal, finishing fourth in the finals of the event with a score of 15.066 on 14 August 2016 at the Gymnastics Center in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[29][30]

Karmakar is only the fifth woman in gymnastics history to land the Produnova vault, or the handspring double front.[31] The Produnova is an artistic gymnastics vault consisting of a front handspring onto the vaulting horse and two front somersaults off. The vault has a 6.0 D-score under the 2022-2024 code of points,[32] and until the addition of Simone Biles's vaults, it was the hardest vault performed in women's artistic gymnastics.[33]

Schedule and 2016 Olympics results

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Events Women's floor exercise Women's beam Women's vault Women's individual all-around Women's vault
Rank 75 65 8 51 4
Point 12.033 12.866 14.850 51.665 15.066
Status Completed Completed Completed Completed Completed
Results Qualification Qualification Qualification Qualification Final, etc.

Karmakar nursed an injury throughout the latter half of 2017; she had injured her knee while practising for the trials of the 2017 Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She underwent corrective surgery for her anterior cruciate ligament in April of the same year and was unable to participate in any events for the remainder of the competitive season. She also withdrew from the selection trials for the Indian team for the 2018 Commonwealth Games, citing her lack of preparedness. Her coach said that although she was healthy again, the lengthy rehabilitation process had restricted her training.[34][35]

Karmakar won a gold medal in the vault event of FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup at Mersin, Turkey in July 2018. She thus became the first Indian gymnast to win a gold medal at a global event. In the same competition, she reached the finals of the balance beam event, finishing fourth.[36][37][13]

Karmakar failed to qualify for the vault final at the 2018 Asian Games. She hurt her right knee, on which she had undergone surgery for an injury while landing during a practice session ahead of her participation in the women's qualification for team and apparatus finals. She also pulled out of team final.[38]

Suspension

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In a confirmation from the International Testing Agency in February 2023, it was revealed that Karmakar was serving a 21-month suspension after testing positive for a banned substance and that the suspension would end in mid-July 2023.[39][40]

The President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, presenting the Padma Shri Award to Karmakar, at the Civil Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on 13 April 2017

Awards

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Sponsorship

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Since 2017, Karmakar has been supported by the GoSports Foundation under the Rahul Dravid Athlete Mentorship Programme.[43]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b "Glasgow 2014 – Dipa KARMAKAR Profile". Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  2. ^ LOKENDRA PRATAP SAH. "Dipa is an inspiration for every woman athlete in India: Sachin - 'For me, sports wasn't a profession, but a passion'". Archived from the original on 19 February 2018. Retrieved 21 July 2017.
  3. ^ a b "Dipa Karmakar". Olympedia. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  4. ^ "Dipa Karmakar scripts history, becomes first Indian gymnast to win gold in Asian Gymnastics Championship". The Times of India. 26 May 2024. Retrieved 26 May 2024.
  5. ^ a b Naik, Shivani (18 April 2016). "Dipa Karmakar becomes first Indian woman gymnast to qualify for Olympics". The times of india. Retrieved 18 April 2016.
  6. ^ a b "Dipa Karmakar becomes 1st Indian woman gymnast to qualify for Rio Olympics". The Economic Times. Press Trust of India. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 21 April 2016.
  7. ^ Chakraborty, Samrat (1 February 2021). "Karmakar's fourth place finish at the Rio Olympics went a long way in inspiring youngsters and developing infrastructure in the country". Olympics.com. Retrieved 16 September 2024.
  8. ^ "First female Indian Olympian gymnast Dipa Karmakar announces her retirement aged 31". The Times of India. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 7 October 2024.
  9. ^ Naik, Shivani (24 August 2014). "After a flight, a landing: Why Dipa Karmakar's medal in Commonwealth Games is its bravest bronze". The Indian Express. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  10. ^ "Glasgow 2014 - Dipa Karmakar profile". Glasgow 2014 Ltd. Archived from the original on 3 March 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  11. ^ Ayres, Alyssa. "India's First Female Olympic Gymnast Dipa Karmakar A Sign Of Country's Drive For Glory". Forbes. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Simone Biles of USA wins Gold in Women's Vault Gymnastics". Archived from the original on 8 March 2019. Retrieved 14 August 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Dipa scripts history again". The Times of India, Kolkata. 9 July 2018. Retrieved 8 August 2018.
  14. ^ "2014 Commonwealth Games Vault Final Dipa Karmakar 2nd Vault". YouTube. Retrieved 7 March 2016.
  15. ^ "Sakshi Malik, Dipa Karmakar among sportstars conferred with Padma Shri awards". Indian Express. 13 April 2017.
  16. ^ Karmakar blazes the Olympic trail for Indian gymnastics – Olympic News
  17. ^ "Agartala takes pride in Dipa's achievement". The Hindu. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  18. ^ "From being flat-footed to 77 career medals: 10 interesting facts about Dipa Karmakar". Firstpost. 19 April 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  19. ^ "Meet Dipa Karmakar: From a flat-footed 6-year-old to India's star woman gymnast". 18 April 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  20. ^ "Tripura's Dipa Karmakar says she is aiming for an Olympic Medal". BDNews24. 6 November 2015. Archived from the original on 8 August 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2016.
  21. ^ Sabanayakan, S (21 February 2011). "Dipa Karmakar rules in gymnastics". The Hindu. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  22. ^ "Tripura's Dipa Karmakar rules in gymnastics". ANI News. 29 March 2011. Archived from the original on 2 February 2016. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  23. ^ "Gymnastics Artistic Women's Vault Final". Glasgow 2014. 31 July 2014. Archived from the original on 10 August 2014. Retrieved 31 July 2014.
  24. ^ "Dipa Karmakar's historical win". 2014 Glasgow. Retrieved 1 August 2014.[dead link]
  25. ^ "Popping painkillers, Dipa Karmakar comes painstakingly close to winning medal". DNA India. 25 September 2014. Retrieved 29 September 2014.
  26. ^ "Dipa Karmakar Brings Glory to India with a Bronze at 2015 Artistic Asian Gymnastics Championships". 2015 Hiroshima. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 4 August 2015.
  27. ^ "Young gymnast Dipa Karmakar makes history, becomes first Indian to qualify for World Championships finals". Zee News. 25 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  28. ^ "Results - 2015 World Gymnastics Championships". www.2015worldgymnastics.com. Archived from the original on 25 October 2015. Retrieved 28 October 2015.
  29. ^ "Rio Games: Dipa Karmakar qualifies for vault finals in Olympics". The Times of India. Retrieved 10 August 2016
  30. ^ [1] [dead link]
  31. ^ "KARMAKAR Dipa - FIG Athlete Profile". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 1 March 2024.
  32. ^ "2022 - 2024 WAG Code of Points" (PDF). International Gymnastics Federation. p. 65. Retrieved 29 February 2024.
  33. ^ "And that's how Dipa won!". The Hindu. 15 August 2016. Retrieved 15 August 2016.
  34. ^ "Dipa Karmakar not ready for CWG: Coach". Asian News International. 14 February 2018. Archived from the original on 15 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  35. ^ "Dipa Karmakar ruled out of Commonwealth Games". The Times of India. 13 February 2018. Retrieved 14 February 2018.
  36. ^ "Dipa Karmakar wins gold in Gymnastics World Cup". The Economic Times. 8 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  37. ^ a b "Dipa Karmakar wins gold medal on injury comeback, becomes second Indian to medal at global event". The Indian Express. 8 July 2018. Retrieved 12 July 2018.
  38. ^ "'Injured' Dipa misses vault final, pulls out of team f inal - The Times Of India - Delhi, 2018-08-22". Retrieved 22 August 2018.
  39. ^ "Dipa Karmakar suspended for 21 months - Explained". ESPN. 4 February 2023. Retrieved 4 February 2023.
  40. ^ Nalwala, Ali Asgar (4 February 2023). "Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar serving ban for doping". Olympics.com. Retrieved 23 May 2023.
  41. ^ "Alia Bhatt, Sakshi Malik, Deepa Karmakar among Forbes' 50 Indian super-achievers under 30". Hindustan Times. Press Trust of India. 17 April 2017.
  42. ^ "Double joy for Dipa Karmakar as coach Bishweshwar Nandi gets Dronacharya award". The Indian Express. 30 August 2016. Retrieved 26 September 2017.
  43. ^ "GoSports Foundation".
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