Five things that make Dipa Karmakar a champion

Dipa Karmakar is a 22-year-old gymnast who is making India proud with her amazing moves particularly the Produnova performance in artistic gymnastics. The girl from Agartala finished 4th at the Rio2016 Olympics, was the the first Indian to qualify for the finals of World Gymnastics Championships this year. Her first accolades came at the Commonwealth Games last year where she won a bronze medal, the first Indian to win it in history. What actually makes Dipa Karmakar, the champion that she is:

1.       Torch-bearer of the sport

India does not have a great history in gymnastics. Dipa learnt it, mastered it and is now riding on the success that gymnasium gave her. She did not have many people to look up to from India and that can be a disadvantage, but she took it upon herself to be an icon and became one.

2.       Gutsy athlete

Dipa has shown her guts to be a performer not once, but many times when she had an injury and still went on to do her job effortlessly. In 2014, she participated in both the Asian Games and World Championships even after she had a serious hairline ankle fracture.

3.       The Produnova champ

Produnova is the most difficult gymnastic sprint involving a handsprint and two somersault. Only four gymnasts have yet mastered it after Elena Produnova, after whom it was named. Well, Dipa is one of the four eminent gymnasts to have done it. It takes a high-level of dedication and focus to do the Produnova and the grace with which Dipa does it is unimaginable.

4.       The Golden Girl

She is called the golden girl of Tripura for more reasons than one. She has excelled at the balancing beam, uneven bars, floor exercises and the vaulting table. The Arjuna Awardee has been a finalist in the Asian Games, The World Cup and the Commonwealth.

5.       Overcoming weakness

Dipa is a flat-footed person, for whom gymnasium is much more difficult than a person having usual curved feet. She overcame her weakness and worked doubly hard to fix it and today she stands to be India’s best athlete to face the Olympics going to happen next year.

Picture Credit- Firstpost