Sportskeeda's Indian Sportsperson of the Year 2016 – No. 15 to No. 6

#8 Dipa Karmakar

Dipa Karmakar became the first Indian gymnast to qualify for the Olympic Games

2016 was largely the year of women with respect to sport in India with Dipa Karmakar being yet another success story. The artistic gymnast became the first Indian gymnast to qualify for the Olympics.

It took India 52 years to have its first participant in gymnastics at the Games and no, Dipa’s story does not stop here. She went ever so close to winning a medal for the country but lost out by a whisker.

Dipa’s score of 15.066, her personal best at the Women’s Vault Gymnastics event of the Rio Olympics, was not enough as she finished fourth, and missed out on a medal by the smallest of margins.

What is remarkable about Dipa is that she is no ordinary gymnast. She performs the Produnova, or the ‘Vault of Death’, that few in the world dare to attempt. She practised on a broken scooter and makeshift equipment to train for the Olympics and still managed to come so close to a medal.

Dipa’s performances see her secure 8^th position on our list.