Mumbai: Gymnastics finally seems to have attracted the kind of attention that Dipa Karmakar would have been hoping for, as the Indian vaulter got a rousing reception after landing in her hometown of Agartala in Tripura.
According to an NDTV report, scores of fans gathered along a 12 km stretch, where Dipa was driven around in an open-top jeep, after her heart-warming performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
However, in the middle of her journey, the 23-year-old spotted her sister among the large number of fans. Karmakar abruptly jumped off the jeep and darted towards her sister, then pulled her into a hug.
"I can't explain how it feels. It is amazing to see so many people on the street waiting to wish me. I thank each and every one of them," Dipa later said to NDTV.
The 23-year-old, who has now become a national icon, sent out an important social message, saying, "Beti Bachao, Beti padao aur Beti ko Khilao" (save the girl child, educate the girl child, and feed the girl child).
Dipa Karmakar created history at the 2016 Rio Olympics by becoming the first Indian woman to qualify for the vault finals of the event. She also became famous worldwide, for perfecting the Produnova vault, which is largely regarded as one of the most dangerous moves in gymnastics.
Karmakar narrowly missed out on the bronze medal in the vault finals, after finishing just 0.15 points behind Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber.
