"Passion to win a medal has grown a lot": Former athlete Dipa Karmakar opens up on future of Gymnastics

After announcing her retirement from the sport, former athlete Dipa Karmakar said that the future of gymnastics is really good as the passion of winning a medal has increased a lot amongst the youngsters. Dipa Karmakar on October 7 announced her retirement from gymnastics, while recalling all her highs and lows in the sport and expressing gratitude for those who played parts in her journey.

"There is a lot of youngsters (who can be the future of the sport). At one point, we couldn't have even imagined of qualifying for Olympics. But we did. Youngsters have this mindset that they want to reach the Olympics. A lot of private and government centres have come up over the years. The passion to win a medal has grown a lot. There will be good times ahead. Even though we could not qualify for Paris Olympics, 2-3 will qualify for LA Olympics."- Future of gymnastics in India," Dipa Karmakar said while speaking to ANI.

The gymnast further opened up on her retirment from the sport saying that she was thinking about this from last 1-1.5 months.

"Everything has to come to an end. I was thinking over it since 1-1.5 months and I took a final decision because my body was not allowing me. I had two surgeries done, I had a shoulder injury, a left leg, knee injury. I was facing a lot of difficulties. Vaulting is my main event and I was facing problems doing it. That's when I thought it was time to retire," the 31-yer-old said.

The gymnast spoke about her career highlights especially ther bronze medal in the 2014 Commonwealth Games.

"Every thing, every medal has been a highlight. But the biggest highlight would be my 2014 Commonwealth Games bronze (the first ever medal by an Indian women in Gymnastics at CWG). I had landed the produnova there (a vault move). People wouldn't remember and recognise Indian women gymnastics if it was not for that medal. Also, the Rio 2016 Olympics (where she finished 4th but completed the produnova). I also got a gold medal in Asian Championships this year after so much struggle and hardwork. People quit when they start losing. But the way I and my coach worked, it was historic," the athlete said.

In the end, Dipa opened up on the tussle between the Gymnastic Federation and the Sports Authority of India (SAI).

"I don't really know what that is. Had I known, I would have played Asian Games. In the Asian Championships, I won gold by beating Asian Games silver medalist. Whatever I faced, I hope no one gets to face it in future. Because after every four years, everyone wants to participate (in major events) , everyone wants to know the criterias beforehand, not after trials. Coaches and players put in a lot of hardwork. But if someone does not go for major events even after being number one in the trials, it feels bad,"

Dipa scripted her name in the history books after she clinched India's first-ever gold medal at the Asian Championships. With an impressive total score of 13.566 in the women's vault final, Dipa took home a historic gold medal while South Korea's Kim Son Hyang secured silver and her compatriot Jyo Kyong Byal bagged the bronze. The return of Dipa and her coach marks a moment of celebration and inspiration for aspiring athletes throughout India, as her success story continues to motivate the next generation of gymnasts. (ANI)