Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar on Monday said Dipa Karmakar’s brilliant performance at the Games would encourage others and give a boost to Indian gymnastics.
“Dipa’s extraordinary performance would encourage others and boost Indian gymnastics,” Mr. Sarkar said.
Congratulating Dipa, the Chief Minister said: “We are confident that she would earn medals for the country next time.”
In the final event on Sunday, the 23-year-old Tripura girl averaged 15.066 points to finish fourth in the Games.
Renowned music composer Subimal Bhatacharjee, 77, composed and dedicated a song to her.
Bhattacharjee said: “I from my core of the heart wish her more success in the future.”
Writer and sports researcher Sekhar Datta said: “Milkha Singh in Rome [1960] and P.T.Usha in Los Angeles [1984] had narrowly missed Olympic medal. Milkha for slowing down midway in the 400 metres run while Usha for a faulty start in the 4x100-metre run.”
He said gymnastics in Tripura was a strong point since 1960s when a Haryana coach, late Duleep Singh, started shaping up a long succession of champion gymnasts like Bharat Kishore Debbarma, Mantu Debnath, Kalpana Debnath, Bishweshwar Nandi, Banasri Debnath, Soma Nandi.
“Mantu and Kalpana became Arujuna Award winners in gymnastics. But it is Dipa who rewrote the rules of the game, becoming champion in northeast sports festival in 2002 only at the age of nine and there was no looking back.”
“From 2007 Dipa has consistently won a long series of junior and senior national titles, bronze in commonwealth games in 2014 and other laurels beyond the reach of ordinary sportspersons, including gymnasts,” he added.
