Dipa Karmakar become first Indian women gymnast qualify for Olympic as she gives a strong performance at the Rio games and she booked her place their.
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Despite the sport receiving little funding in India, Commonwealth and Asian Games medallist Karmakar gathered a total score of 52.698 points in the final artistic gymnastics qualifying event in Rio to claim her place at the Games.
Since Independence, 11 Indian male gymnasts have taken part in the Olympics (two in 1952, three in 1956 and six in 1964) but this will be the first for an Indian woman at the Olympics.
Romania’s remarkable four-decade long Olympic medal streak in women’s gymnastics ended in bitter tears at the Rio test event after they failed to qualify a full team for the Brazil Games.
– Dipa Karmakar also created history when she progressed to the finals of the 2015 World Artistic Gymnastics Championship where she eventually finished fifth.
“Congrats Dipa Karmakar for Olympics qualification”. The determination seen in them belied the nervousness she perhaps felt.
Dipa has garnered the highest score on a Produnova in the world: 15.100, which is 7.000 for difficulty, and an 8.100 for execution, with a 0.1 penalty, making her the rarest of rare phenomenon.
However, it is the journey from the time she started dreaming about an Olympic berth to yesterday’s ultimate feat that makes for a compelling story that speaks about the gymnast’s struggle for basic facilities and the federation politics that nearly derailed her ambition. She has qualified for the Olympics and then has won a gold now.
2The focus for Ellis and coach Sam James now shifts to the summer Games where she will join Kieran Behan in flying the Irish flag at the most prestigious competition in our sport. It marks the first time in over 50 years that a South African gymnast will compete in the Olympics.
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“I am sure Ellis’ coach Sam James and everyone at the Europa Gymnastics Club in London and all her family and friends are immensely proud of her historic achievement”. Ur achievements inspire us. Dipa Karmakar you are the pride of our Nation.
