Agartala, Aug. 20: Olympian gymnast Dipa Karmakar touched down in Delhi to a rousing welcome today after finishing a creditable fourth in the individual vault final at the Rio Olympics, India's best performance in the event in an international competition.

"I thank all Indians for praying for me. I am happy but would have been happier if I had won a medal for the country...but whatever happens, happens for good. Hopefully, better things will follow. I was not aware about the frenzy back home. I am sorry I couldn't win a medal but will surely try to win next time," the 23-year-old Dipa said on her arrival in New Delhi this morning.

The Agartala girl missed out on an Olympic medal by a mere 0.15 points despite executing the dangerous Produnova vault in her second attempt to secure a remarkable 15.066 points in the final. On her magnificent performance in Rio, she said, "I knew I could reach 7th or 8th position but had never even thought of fourth place. I'm very happy."

Dipa also thanked her coach Bishweshwar Nandi. "I thank my coach the most. Being chosen for Khel Ratna is great but getting it after winning a medal would have given me the greatest satisfaction. For me, more important is that my coach got nominated for the Dronacharya Award. He has been there with me for 16 years and he deserves it more than me."

Dipa and Nandi will arrive in Agartala on Monday to a rousing reception by hundreds of students and sports enthusiasts. Tripura sports minister Shahid Chowdhury and the state sports council chairman Dilip Chakraborty will formally receive Dipa at Agartala airport after her flight from Delhi lands around 9.50am.

Subsequently, a cavalcade of 200 motorcycles will lead Dipa and her coach, who will be driven in an open jeep to Swami Vivekananda ground in the heart of the town. There will be a rally by yoga performers and gymnasts before the felicitation programme.

"She will be greeted by the crowd and there will be a welcome song. This will be followed by a speech by chief minister Manik Sarkar, who will reach the ground at 11am. Dipa and Nandi will also be requested to briefly address the gathering of students of various schools and colleges," said the sports minister today.

Incidentally, Dipa will appear for the second semester exam of her MA (political science) course from Tuesday. "She is studying in a distance course from Tripura Central University and has completed her first semester. This will be her second semester exam. For now, she will be concentrating only on her studies. Then she will get down to rigorous practice for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics," said her father Dulal Karmakar.

He said both he and his wife were happy with Dipa's performance in Rio. "Like all my countrymen, we would have been happier with a medal. But considering the fact that even her entry into the Rio Olympics was in doubt at one stage, we are really happy. Securing fourth position in such a competitive event is a truly excellent achievement. We are proud of Dipa," he said.