Asian Games 2018: Dipa Karmakar pulls out of team event citing injury

Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar, who returned from a career-threatening injury after two years to take part in the multi-discipline event at Asian Games 2018, has pulled out from the women's team final after hurting her right knee during the practice session in Jakarta.

On Tuesday, Dipa hurt her right knee after she made a false landing during her practice session ahead of Women's qualification finals for team and apparatus event. Her right knee had undergone surgery for an injury she suffered post Olympics.

The injury she suffered during practice session cost her dear as she failed to qualify for the Team event. Dipa has also pulled out from the Vault finals, possibly after reviewing the seriousness of the injury.

With Dipa's sad exit, India will be represented by Budda Aruna Reddy Mandira Chaudhary and Pranati Nayak who qualified for the Team event. Meanwhile, Dipa will represent India in the final of the Beam event, which is actually not the forte of Tripura born gymnast.

Dipa Karmakar, who won Bronze in 2014 Commonwealth Games and in 2015 Asian Games as well, finished seventh in the qualifying finals for the beam balance. Her coach Bhisheshwar Nandi says, '' Tomorrow, we have the team event final. Dipa will not participate in it as she has pain in her right knee. If she takes a few days of rest, she will be fine. Doctors have given her medicines and she is taking them''.

Dipa Karmakar became the first female gymnast ever to represent India at the Olympics in 2016 and the first Indian gymnast to do so in 52 years. She missed out the medal contention with a narrow margin as she finished fourth in the Women's Vault Gymnastics in Rio with a total score of 15.066.

India's Karmakar is one of the only five women gymnasts who has successfully landed the Produnova, which is regarded as the most difficult vault currently performed in women's gymnastics event.

Post-2016 Olympics, Dipa suffered a serious career-threatening injury and underwent surgery many times. She is still not practising Produnova and will refrain from performing it in the medal run.