Dipa Karmakar inspires young athletes at Leap Gymnastics in Mumbai
Dipa Karmakar, India's notable gymnastic sensation, was recently in Mumbai to visit Leap Gymnastics and inspire the young athletes at the centre. During her visit, Karmakar shared her extensive journey while interacting with young gymnasts before giving tips bountifully in the world of competitive gymnastics.
She praised the organizers for their sincere commitment to spreading gymnastics in India. According to her, it was of utmost importance to nurture the upcoming talent, and she believes that one day, these young gymnasts would carve out their niche in the world of gymnastics.
“I believe that with such initiatives, we can nurture and develop the next generation of gymnasts who will shine on the global stage," Karmakar was quoted as saying by JSW Leap Gymnastics.
Started by Tanvi Jindal, Leap Gymnastics is committed to producing world-class gymnasts. According to Jindal, it was Karmakar's success story that motivated the mission at the facility. He was quoted as saying:
“Her success story furthers our commitment to nurturing and developing world-class gymnasts. Leap Gymnastics is dedicated to providing the highest level of training and facilities to our athletes and creating a supportive environment for their growth.”
Within such a brief period since its launch, Leap Gymnastics has trained over 1,000 gymnasts and will aim to fulfill its mission of training more than 10,000 athletes all over the country in the next five years. It would be achieved by opening world-class centers and using advanced curriculums that can support building high-performance athletes.
The 30-year-old gymnast expressed her excitement for the 2024 Paris Olympics in her visit. She took to social media as she shared her experience at Leap Gymnastics, underlining her dedication to the growth of gymnastics and Olympic sports in India. On her Instagram account, Dipa Karmakar penned out:
"Had a great time interacting with young gymnasts at @leapgymnastics and talking about all things Olympics & what it means to India with some great minds in Mumbai! I can’t wait for the Olympics to start! Jai Hind!"
Dipa Karmakar's achievements highlight her influence in the sport
Dipa Karmakar has risen as the country's first female gymnast to qualify and don Indian colors in the Olympics. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, she concluded the vault event in fourth place, falling short of an Olympic medal by only 0.15 points.
Karmakar also has other records like a bronze medal in the 2014 Commonwealth Games at Glasgow as the first-ever woman from the nation to medal in gymnastics at the Commonwealth Games.
Dipa Karmakar also bagged a bronze medal during the Asian Championships in 2015. More recently, she clinched the gold this year at this competition.
Dipa Karmakar's historic participation in the Rio Olympics was the first time an Indian gymnast had ever contested at the Olympics since 1964. In total, Karmakar scored 15.066 in vault.
Similarly, at the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup in July 2018, she won a gold medal, becoming the first Indian gymnast to do so on the international level.