Aug. 8: World champion Simone Biles of America wouldn't try it because she is "not trying to die".

Nor would anyone from the last Olympics' victorious Chinese team attempt what happens to be the riskiest manoeuvre in gymnastics, the "vault of death" that only five women in history have completed successfully.

But Dipa Karmakar of India, who for years trained in an Agartala gym that got flooded during the monsoon, would.

The 4-foot-11 girl from a backwater among sporting backwaters knows that the Produnova vault is key if she has to become the first Indian to win an Olympic gymnastics medal, using sheer daredevilry to beat rivals from countries with far better training facilities.

One will have to wait, perhaps aptly, till Independence Day to know whether she can pull it off. But a day before her birthday, India's first Olympic gymnast has become its first to reach a Games gymnastics final.

To Dipa, that was not what capped her day. What did was the sight of Biles, arguably the greatest gymnast ever and the winner of today's round of events, waiting to hug her when she stepped out of the arena.

"She had earlier too said she had been impressed by my Produnova vaults. She said it again today and wished me luck for the final," an awestruck Dipa told The Telegraph. "She is a star to me and it's difficult to imagine even standing beside her. Getting praised by a legend like Simone is like winning a medal."

Biles wasn't the only one impressed. "How does a girl from India, a country that has no history in gymnastics, reach the Olympic final?" was the refrain among the journalists present.

"People here keep asking why I chose such a dangerous vault," Dipa said. "All I could tell them was that I like the vault the most. I thank God every day for helping me become a gymnast."

Dipa, who finished 51st in the overall competition but booked a place in the vault final, was easily the most interviewed gymnast at the end of the star-studded event.

Yet it had all threatened to go awry when her Produnova failed to come off as expected, her bottom grazing the mat as she landed in a blur of green and white.

"As the Produnova vault was the first thing I attempted today and it did not go as expected, it immediately put me in a bad mood," Dipa said.

"I was hoping for a better score from the first vault and because it was low, I was really disappointed. My landing had been better in training. My hip touched the mat today."

The Produnova, a front handspring that explodes into a double front somersault, carries a difficulty score of 7, about two more than any other event, giving a head start to any competitor who performs it successfully. A gymnast's total score in an event is the sum of her difficulty score and execution score.

Dipa secured 7 on difficulty and 8.1 on execution for an overall score of 15.1 for the Produnova. She then stumbled sideways following her second vault, a Tsuk double full twist with a step to the side, earning 14.6 with a 6 for difficulty.

Her average score of 14.85 left her 6th after the third of five sub-divisions in the vault, but she dropped to 8th when Canadian Shallon Olsen's terrific effort of 14.950 rejigged the overall standings.

It was a nervous wait after that, for only eight would qualify for the August 14 final, which begins at 11.15pm Indian time.

"Had she been here we would have celebrated her birthday. Since she is far away in Rio, her mother will offer puja tomorrow for her success in the final," Dipa's father Dulal, a Sports Authority of India coach, said at his two-storey home in Agartala's Abhaynagar neighbourhood.

Dipa's mother Gita, a homemaker, said she didn't mind the invasion by journalists. "It's natural as Dipa is representing the country. I feel happy," she said.

Yet Dipa's journey had begun with a shock. Dulal, a former weightlifter, recalled the day in 1999 he had taken his then six-year-old daughter to his friend and gymnastics coach Bishweshwar Nandi.

"Bishweshwar detected on the first day that she was flat-footed, which is a big handicap for a gymnast because it affects the spring in her jump," Dulal said.

Still, Dulal insisted Nandi take a chance on his daughter. The coach said yes, but only if Dipa was ready to do gruelling special exercises to try and develop an arch in her feet.

It was the same year, 1999, that a world away in Spain, a Russian champion, Elena Produnova, stunned spectators for the first time with the daredevil vault that bears her name.

"Dipa was captivated by the Produnova vault when she saw it on YouTube many years later. She decided to try it but Bishweshwar was very nervous because even a minor error could have snapped her spine," Dulal said. Nandi consulted other senior coaches and doctors and eventually agreed to let her try it.

Dipa, junior national gymnastics champion in 2007 and senior national champion from 2010 to 2015, won bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow and another bronze at the Asian artistic gymnastics championship in Hiroshima last year.

For the past two to three years, she has been training mostly in Delhi while the state government has chipped in with whatever it could manage, which is Rs 3 lakh in two instalments.

The Tripura Cricket Association, on an unofficial prod from the state government, gave her Rs 5 lakh after she received the Arjuna Award. Dipa also has the support of the GoSports Foundation, which describes itself as "a donor-funded organisation focused on strengthening the future of Indian sport".

Dipa graduated last year and is now doing a master's in political science at Tripura Central University. She was appointed a sports officer through a special decision of the state cabinet.

Dipa knows her life has already changed. "After today, I will perhaps never be the same person again. Performing here makes you a different human being," she said.

---

DAREDEVIL’S VAULT

The Produnova vault, an artistic gymnastics vault of the highest difficulty, is a front handspring followed by two front somersaults. It’s named after Russia’s Elena Produnova, who first completed it (by landing on her feet) in 1999.

Hall of fame Only five women have ever completed the Produnova: Produnova herself, Yamilet Peña (Dominica), Dipa Karmakar (India), Fadwa Mahmoud (Egypt), and Oksana Chusovitina (Uzbekistan). Two others — Choe Jong Sil (North Korea) and Ekaterina Tsvetkova (Russia) — tried it but landed on their back.

Risk Some want the Produnova banned because of the risk involved — a bad landing (say, on one’s neck) can lead to paralysis or even death. Asked if she might try it, reigning world champion Simone Biles (US) said earlier this year: “I’m not trying to die.”

Lure Gymnasts try it because of its high D-Score (Difficulty Score) of 7, which guarantees a high overall score (the sum of a gymnast’s D-Score and E-Score or Execution Score) if she completes it. Other vaults have D-Scores of about 5.

Criticism Some purists say the Produnova is a shortcut that lesser gymnasts adopt, banking on their daredevilry and not skill to win more points.

---

 

 

Additional reporting by Reuters and PTI