"I’m the only one in India doing that"- Gymnast Pranati Nayak on still competing at 28
Pranati Nayak has been one of India's best gymnasts alongside Dipa Karmakar. Born and raised in West Bengal, the former made headlines when she qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, making her only the second Indian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics.
Not only has Nayak had a decorated career but the two-time Asian Championships bronze medalist has also shown remarkable sustainability. In a sport where athletes often hang up their boots in their early twenties, Pranati is still going strong at 28 and has no intentions of stopping anytime soon.
"You have got to maintain your fitness at the highest levels. I don’t believe that gymnasts have shorter careers. I’m 28 now, and I’m still playing. And I think I’m the only one in India doing that. I can say that I can still play for 4-5 years. It is all about maintaining your fitness levels," Nayak told the Hindustan Times.
For Pranati Nayak, who specializes in the vault, injuries have become commonplace. While dealing with the mental and physical setbacks that come with taking time can be disappointing, the gymnast has now learned to take rest when her body needs it.
“I’ve had many injuries. And we have grown used to it. We just have to make sure our fitness levels are maintained in such a way that we don’t have a long-term injury. I did have a ligament tear that kept me out for months at a time. It is important to take rest when it happens," she added.
When injured, the Indian's focus shifts to rehab, no matter how slow the recovery might feel for her.
"It is better to do rehab and recover, even when it takes long, rather than exerting yourself in hope that you can fast-track your recovery and hurt yourself even more in the process," she said.
Pranati Nayak on gymnastics in India
Pranati Nayak started practicing gymnastics at the tender age of six and is now one of India's senior-most athletes in the sport. In her two decades of competing, she has seen her sport's perception change drastically in the country.
Where being a professional gymnast was unheard of only a handful of years ago, Dipa Karmakar's exploits at the 2016 Olympics thrust the sport into the spotlight. Karmakar finished fourth in the vault event in Brazil, just 0.150 points below bronze medalist Giulia Steingruber.
When asked about the difference in Indian gymnastics, Nayak said, via the aforementioned source:
“It has changed a lot. Earlier, people didn’t even know about gymnastics. When Dipa didi finished fourth in the Olympics, that was the watershed moment for our sport. I have won medals afterwards, Dipa didi also won many medals."
"People now recognize that there are Indian gymnasts who are giving a tough competition to athletes at the world level, and it will improve further,'' she added.
This shift in popularity has also resulted in improved facilities and training opportunities for the next generation of gymnasts. While Pranati Nayak says she is grateful for the exposure the sport has right now, the Indian couldn't help but wonder what her career would have looked like had she received the same facilities and support from the grassroots level.
"We are finally getting the exposure in India; if we had similar facilities when we were starting in our careers, we would have performed even better at the world level. Now, I’m just focusing on making the most out of the facilities that I have,” she said.
For now, Pranati Nayak has her target locked in on qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics, and reaching the vault final once she's there.