Rio de Janeiro: Dipa Karmakar has become the most sought after person in the Indian contingent at the Games Village in Rio, ever since she reached the vault final in artistic gymnastics last Sunday.

The other day, as Dipa was walking back to her room after a practice session, she met Saina Nehwal, the bronze medallist at the London Olympics. The star shuttler hugged the 23-year-old gymnast and said she was expecting her to win a medal.

“I am not thinking about a medal…  My only aim is give my best in the final,” Dipa said. “But everyone in the Games Village feel I am capable of a podium finish. I met PT Usha after she had just reached Rio. She congratulated me on my performance and said she believed I could do it,” said the Tripura girl on the eve of the final on Saturday.

“I know there are expectations around me, but I am not feeling the pressure… I am enjoying the Games here. I am not going to the Olympic Gymnastics Centre with a specific target in mind. I know a medal could come… At the same time a medal may elude me too. After all, there is such a strong field.

“All I want is to give my best. My countrymen want me to do well. My parents called me and said I should be ready to give everything for my nation. I am not nervous, I am just feeling the excitement,” said the gymnast.

Dipa’s coach Bishweshwar Nandi is also of the opinion that her ward should not be kept under pressure. 

“I told her that what she did in the qualifiers was absolutely fantastic.”

According to Nandi, he told Dipa: “Go out in the arena, enjoy your presence there and do your level best. You are in the Olympics final… Not many gymnasts in the world get this opportunity. 

“You earned it… Now you don’t look at what others are doing. Concentrate on your own performance and make the final a memorable occasion.”

In the preliminaries, Dipa finished ninth among 19 competitors with a total point tally of 14.850. The top place was taken by the champion American gymnast Simone Biles, who scored 16.050. 

The US girl, however, was hugely impressed by the Indian and congratulated her at the end of the day.

The Agartala girl will compete in the finals just ahead of India’s Independence Day. Surely, a billion hearts will be beating for Dipa. 

To run up to the vault, do a handspring and complete two somersaults mid-air is not an easy feat. Dipa has now become famous for her excellent Produnova vaults.

Dipa’s physio, Sajjad Ahmad Mir, has arrived in Rio from Delhi a few days ago and is doing everything to keep the gymnast fit. 

He has advised Dipa to wear a kneecap that will help her in making a smooth landing during the vaults.

Dipa had attempted the Produnova — a tremendously dangerous vault that only a few before her had even attempted — at the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014. Since then, every time she runs towards the vault, the nation watches with bated breath. 

Her parents know of her struggle. “Before Glasgow, her coach suggested that she try it and then she practised, every day, multiple times. 

“Yes, it is risky. But she knows what she’s doing and we have faith in her own understanding of her abilities,” her father had said after she qualified for the Rio Olympics.

Since her bronze medal in Glasgow, Dipa has become a celebrity. Back at her hometown Agartala she is now a household name. 

There had, however, been other obstacles on her way to Rio. Even though her physio is now with her, initially the Sports Authority of India (SAI) had refused to allow him to accompany the young gymnast. Even her coach was one of the later ones to get permission to be part of the Indian contingent.

Even the officials of the Indian contingent are impressed with Dipa’s simplicity. 

“She is a simple girl who never throws her weight around and has no complaint. We don’t always get food of our choice in the Village, but she never said a word about it,” said an official.

The Indian contingent will be in full force at the gymnastics venue on Sunday night to back the wonder girl from Tripura. 
It will truly be a historic occasion for Indian sport if she manages to finish among the top three.