press trust of india
New Delhi, April 21: A long cherished dream of qualifying for the Olympics achieved, India’s history-making gymnast Dipa Karmakar said here Thursday that she will leave no stone unturned in her quest for a medal in the Rio Games later this year.
Dipa returned to a grand welcome here from Rio de Janeiro early in the morning three days after she became the first Indian woman to qualify for Olympics.
“Since the time I started gymnastics, I wanted to compete at the Olympics and bring laurels for my country. I have qualified for the Olympics now. The only thing left is to make the country proud,” the 22-year-old Dipa told reporters with a sigh of relief.
“Now, I will work harder than before and hopefully I can win a medal at Rio. I will put every effort to ensure that I keep creating history. That is my target now,” said Dipa who reached here after a 36-hour-long flight
from Rio.
Asked about the effort she had to put in to qualify for the Olympics, the Tripura girl said, “I wanted to qualify for the Olympics last November during the World Championships (where she finished fifth). But that did not happen (a podium finish was required). So, my target at the Rio Test event was to qualify at any cost and I am happy that I have achieved my goal.”
Despite all the accolades she has got after her feat, the Tripura girl remained grounded and said she does not consider herself as a star sportsperson.
“I am not a star. Nothing like that. I don’t think on those lines. My job is to keep working harder and bring laurels for the country. Doing well in the Olympics is my immediate target now,” the Agartala girl said.
Asked if the infrastructure provided by SAI here would be good enough for her to prepare for the Olympics, Dipa replied in the affirmative. “I think the infrastructure is good here. At the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium, we have the foam pit (to protect gymnasts from dangerous falls) and SAI has promised me to bring a new springboard in two days time,” informed Dipa.
“Now my job is to focus on my training and do well at the Olympics. To do that, I need help from everyone in my endeavour,” the gymnast added.