“It's just the start of the year” Dipa Karmakar sets sights on Paris Olympics after National title

For Dipa Karmakar, 2024 has been a year of redemption so far. The gymnast won the national all-around title on her comeback on Friday, marking her first successful outing after a handful of years plagued with injuries. However, the Indian isn’t done yet and already has her target locked in on qualifying for the Paris Olympics.

For Karmakar, after her national championship victory, she will shift her focus to the upcoming Asian Championships and World Cup in a bid to book herself a spot in Paris.

“It's just the start of the year and I want to compete in the Asian Championships and World Cup and see if I can qualify for Paris,” she told Hindustan Times.

A key takeaway for Dipa Karmakar and her coach from the national championships was the fact that she was able to complete her routines with comfort, something that wouldn't have been possible a while ago.

"I am happy that I was able to perform the routines without difficulty. Even to reach this level was very difficult after two surgeries (knee). I was not sure whether I would be able to do such routines again. I have put so much hard work with my coach to be able to just start competing again.”

Next, the gymnast is focused on increasing the difficulty of her routine to a win medal on the international stage.

“I will be able to judge myself better only after competing at the international level. I have to increase the difficulty level of my routines and that's going to be my target in training in the next few months.”

Dipa Karmakar’s medal haul at the National Championships

For Dipa Karmakar, this was her first time competing at the National Championships in eight years, and her performances were certainly worth the wait.

The Rio Olympian stormed to the top of the podium in the all-around event, with a score of 49.55. Joining her in the medal-winning positions were compatriots Pranati Nayak and Swastika Ganguly, who scored 47.00 and 45.30, respectively.

Apart from the all-around, Karmakar also won medals in the vault and uneven bars, claiming a silver in both. She was beaten by Pranati Nayak in the vault, while Pranati Das clinched the gold on the uneven bars.