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Dipa Karmakar, the well-known Indian gymnast, has made a triumphant return to competitive gymnastics after a 21-month suspension because of a doping violation.
Despite the fact that she approached Asian Games selection trials with caution at the Kalinga Stadium, she showcased her determination, earning the highest score to secure her top place in the female rankings for gymnasts in the individual all-around competition.
The 29-year-old Dipa has previously gone through multiple knee surgeries and even trained with extra pressure on her knees. She decided not to push for high difficult scores in vault, beam, uneven bars, and floor exercises. However, Dipa adhered to remarkable skill totaling a score of 47.05. Pranati Das, who was her closest competitor gathered 45.80 points but was nowhere near Dipa's level.
Bishweshwar Nandi, who is Dipa's coach, and his wife Soma Nandi, who had been the first coach to the 29-year-old were understandably concerned about her fitness levels. Nevertheless, they felt calm after seeing Dipa's Tsukahara 360 technique on the vaulting table. She managed to continue her routine without any issues.
As per Nandi, they did not want to take any risk since Dipa was competing after a considerable gap which will take a risk on the marrow while going for her individual apparatus, the vault.
Dipa Karmakar satisfied with her performance upon her comeback
Reflecting on her comeback, the athlete stressed her dedication to tackling the obstacles. She also acknowledged the support she has received during these challenging times.
“I fought with every odd to make a comeback. This is a big comeback for me. For me, my performance was okay if not 100 percent. But I will try to give my 100 per cent in future. I want to thank all who supported me during my low phase," Dipa Karmakar said.
Notably, some top-rated gymnasts, including Rakesh Patra, Yogeshwar Singh, and Pranati Nayak, chose to overlook the trials and leaned on their all-around scores achieved during the Asian championship in Singapore the last month.
As far as the men's individual all-around category is concerned, two bright gymnasts hailing from Odisha, Tapan Mohanty and Tapeshwarnath Das, produced astounding performances, which helped them cement their places among the top six.
