Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian gymnast to win the continental title at the Asian Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tashkent by winning a gold medal in vault. She scored 12.650 in the qualification round and finished eighth in the final with two identical scores of 13.566. North Koreans Kim Son Hyang (13.466 with a 0.100 penalty) and Jo Kyong Byol (12.966) followed her.
This is Dipa’s second medal at the championships, following her bronze in 2015 (14.725) in Hiroshima. Other Indians who have won medals at the Asian Championships include Ashish Kumar (bronze in floor exercise, Surat, 2006) and Pranati Nayak (bronze in vault, Ulaanbaatar, 2019, and Doha, 2022). After facing health issues, two knee surgeries, and a 21-month doping suspension, Dipa’s performance was remarkable.
The Asian gold was a significant achievement for Dipa, who missed important opportunities to qualify for the Paris Olympics due to her suspension and the team’s decision not to attend any of the four Apparatus World Cups.