Agartala, May 26:Deepa Karmakar, the celebrated Olympian and gymnast hailing from Tripura, etched her name in the annals of sports history at the Asian Gymnastics Championships 2024 in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. With remarkable precision, she secured the gold medal in the women’s vault apparatus, making her the first Indian gymnast to achieve this remarkable feat at the Asian Championships.
Prior to Karmakar’s historic triumph, Indian gymnasts had previously clinched four bronze medals at the continental championships. Notably, Karmakar herself contributed to this tally with a third-place finish in the women’s vault event back in 2015. Ashish Kumar (men’s floor exercise in 2006) and Pranati Nayak (women’s vault in 2019 and 2022) were the other medalists who brought honor to India.
In the women’s vault final in Tashkent, the 30-year-old Olympian outshone her competitors. With an average score of 13.566, she edged past North Korea’s Kim Son Hyang (13.466) and Jo Kyong Byol (12.966).
Earlier during the championship, Karmakar faced disappointment in the all-around category, finishing 16th with a score of 46.166. Unfortunately, she missed securing an Olympic quota for India in gymnastics. The sole Olympic quota from the Tashkent meet went to the Philippines’ Emma Malabuyo, who secured third place with a score of 50.398.
Despite this setback, Karmakar’s vault gold represents yet another significant milestone in her illustrious career. Notably, she was the first Indian female gymnast to compete at the Olympics, achieving a commendable fourth-place finish in the women’s vault event at Rio 2016 – the best performance by any Indian gymnast in the Summer Olympic Games to date.
Adding to her accolades, Karmakar previously clinched the women’s vault gold medal at the FIG World Cup in Mersin, Turkey, in 2018, thereby becoming the first Indian to achieve gold at a global gymnastics event.
Her achievements not only solidify her legacy as a trailblazer in Indian gymnastics but also serve as inspiration for a new generation of athletes, encouraging them to pursue their dreams in this demanding and captivating sport.
