Deepa Karmakar talks about ageism, perception after the doping scandal, and how gymnastics became her life. Image- m.rediff.com
This is called a return. Tripura girl Deepa Karmakar has entered a national level competition after 8 long years. Due to injuries, Deepa has to go through a very difficult time. However, she worked at her own pace again at the National Senior Gymnastics in Bhubaneswar. Deepa, who finished fourth at the Rio Olympics, won gold in the women’s all-around event at that event in Bhubaneswar. Undoubtedly, this is Deepa’s comeback.
Before her comeback, Deepa Karmakar was often accused to her face of being old. As if the rest of the world doesn’t. “You’re old and gay. What are you doing now in gymnastics? Rio ke baad hi retire hona chahya tha, (You should have retired after Rio)”
Deepa Karmakar won her first gold medal in 2010. “Anyone can talk about anything about athletes in India. But yes, thoda-sa proved that I am back at Nationals. She laughs after she bagged a gold and two silver in Bhubaneswar. Deba’s eyes are now on one thing, which is qualifying for a tournament Paris Olympics 2024. She is preparing herself for this purpose.
Deepa Karmakar won the individual all-around competition by scoring 49.55. Pranati Das came in second place (47.00) and Swastika Ganguly came in third place (45.30). Deepa earned silver on vault and uneven bars. Pranati Naik (13.067), who was India’s sole representative at the Asian Games, took gold on vault.
Diba, 29 years old, said: “I have had the support of my family and coaches through every up and down. Not many can come back from two surgeries to compete for all the hardware. We don’t even have a good physiotherapist in Tripura. If I can achieve it without any support, then surely I can do it,” she says. More to come,” she said, explaining why she was so happy with the title after proving “thoda-sa” a bit. “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time.”
After her sensational fourth-place finish at the Rio Olympics, Deepa Karmakar has struggled with injuries. Her next best performance was winning gold and bronze at the 2018 World Cup circuit. But knee and ankle injuries denied her qualification for the Tokyo Olympics. “Some days the coach would yell a lot. Other times he would patiently explain. There weren’t many days I didn’t cry when I got home from training. Without the competition and exposure I was lost. So it’s good to start the year with the final national title.” Says.
Dipa was dropped from the Asian Games roster despite topping the trials and was shunned by central funding bodies. “Ab woh ho gaya. I don’t want to discuss this topic again.” She says without showing any anger.