In the sport of gymnastics the Produnova Vault is known as the Vault of Death. While executing this extremely difficult maneuver, the risk of crashing down and suffering serious injury, even death, is so high that the world’s best gymnasts shy away from attempting it. But a few years ago, a diminutive girl from India, less than 5 feet tall, mastered this exercise and shocked the world into silence.
Her name is Dipa Karmakar. It was not easy to establish control over this hazardous vault. Hundreds of times she had to practice doing it. So in effect, hundreds of times she toyed with injury and death.
The Produnova vault, named after its inventor Yelena Produnova, carries a difficulty rating of 7.0 which is the highest among all vaults. A slight error in executing it, may make the gymnast fall wrongly and break her spine or neck in half. All vaults have an element of danger but the Produnova is the riskiest of all.
In the history of world gymnastics only five women have been able to conquer this death defying vault. It is a matter of great pride for India that Dipa belongs to that tiny and elite list.
The icon of Indian gymnastics announced recently that she is retiring from the sport. Her decision means that we will no longer see those breathtaking vaults and the magical repertoire of twists and turns that only she could execute perfectly in the gymnastics arenas of the world.
India’s trailblazer
Dipa was India’s trailblazing gymnast. She narrowly missed out on a podium finish at the Rio 2016 Olympics but she will leave behind a legacy of courage and determination that redefined Indian gymnastics.
Although she did not win a medal at the Rio Olympic Games, her performance captured the attention of the experts throughout the world and put India on the global map of the sport.
First Indian to win gold in a global event
Dipa’s career spanned several important successes. In 2018, she became the first Indian gymnast to win a gold medal at a global event, when she finished first in the vault event of the FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup in Turkey. But unfortunately she was pushing herself so hard that her knees gave way at an early age.
Surgeries on both knees took a heavy toll on her body, eventually leading to her decision to retire after the Paris Olympics. Sports medicine in India has improved over the years but it still needs to be developed further. Perhaps with more sophisticated treatment, Dipa may have been able to recover her agility.
There are also theories floating around that the medication that she took had its own side effects and may have resulted in the positive dope test that she recorded a few years ago.
Her mentors
Dipa’s journey to stardom was charted by her father Dulal Karmakar who was a weightlifting coach, and gymnastics coach B.S. Nandy, who guided her till she became perfect at executing the most difficult routines.
Their combined mentorship helped her to achieve a breakthrough in international competitions and cemented her place as the greatest of Indian gymnasts. She has been honoured with the Padma Shri as well as the Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award. As she bids goodbye to sports, we hope that her impish smile and never-say-die attitude will inspire the coming generations of Indian gymnasts to emulate her feats in the world’s biggest arenas.
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