Indian gymnastics icon Dipa Karmakar, who made history as the first female gymnast from the country to compete in the Olympics, has officially announced her retirement on October 7. The 31-year-old gymnast, known for her achievements and near-podium finish at the 2016 Rio Olympics, has decided to hang up her leotard after a career that inspired millions and put Indian gymnastics on the global map.
Signing Off From The Mat!: Dipa Karmakar Announces Retirement
In a heartfelt statement, she said, "After much thought, I have decided to retire from gymnastics. This decision wasn’t easy for me, but it's the right time. Gymnastics has been a huge part of my life, and I am grateful for every moment—the highs, the lows, and everything in between." She fondly recalled being told as a five-year-old that she wouldn’t become a gymnast due to her flat feet and shared the pride she feels today looking back at her achievements.
Representing India on the world stage and earning medals was a dream come true for her, but she called her performance of the challenging Produnova Vault at the Rio Olympics the "most memorable" moment of her career. She also spoke about the bittersweet realisation that came after her last victory at the Asian Gymnastics Championship in Tashkent. "I thought I could push my body further, but sometimes your body tells you it's time to rest, even when your heart doesn’t agree," she said.
Dipa expressed her gratitude to her coaches, Bishweshwar Nandi and Soma Nandi, whom she credited for guiding her over the last 25 years. While Dipa is stepping away from competitive gymnastics, she assured her fans that her connection with the sport will remain strong. "I want to give back to the sport—perhaps as a mentor, coach, or by supporting other girls like me," she shared in her message.
A Look Back At Legendary Gymnast’s Career
Originally from Tripura, Dipa Karmakar is the daughter of a weightlifting coach and has been practising gymnastics from the age of six. Born with flat feet, a barrier for her to go ahead in the sport, the determined sportswoman trained and fought to overcome the challenge. At 14, Dipa won the Junior Nationals held in Jalpaiguri.
Karmakar competed in the 2011 National Games of India, Jharkhand, representing Tripura. She won gold medals in the all-around and all four events: floor, vault, balance beam and uneven bars. At the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, Karmakar became the first Indian female gymnast to win a medal, as she took home a bronze.
At the 2015 World Championships, Karmakar became the first Indian to qualify for the finals and finished fifth. In the same year, she notched up a bronze medal at the Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Japan. At the Rio Olympics in 2016, Karmakar lost the medal by just 0.15 points but secured a name as the face of gymnastics in India.
Surgery, Comeback
Dipa Karmakar underwent knee surgery for her anterior cruciate ligament in April 2017 and had to go through rehabilitation for over nine months. She couldn’t even practice and missed a lot of competitions, which included the Commonwealth Games, Asian Championships and World Championships.
That year, she was awarded a Padma Shri from the then-President of India, Pranab Mukherjee, two months after her surgery. In 2017, she was also named among Forbes’ list of super achievers from Asia under the age of 30. She is also the recipient of an Arjuna Award (2014), and Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna Award (2016).
In 2018, Karmakar made a glorious comeback as the first Indian gymnast to win a gold medal at a global event, the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup at Mersin, Turkey. Dipa Karmakar is one of the only five women who have successfully landed one of the most difficult vaults in women's gymnastics, the Produnova.
In 2023, Karmakar faced a 21-month suspension when she tested positive for the consumption of a banned substance. She returned to the game in July 2023. In January 2024, Karmakar secured a gold at the Artistic Gymnastics National Championship in Odisha. The Asian Gymnastics Championship was the final round of Olympic qualifications.
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