This day, that year: The rise and rise of Dipa Karmakar

Date: 31st July, 2014

Place: Glasgow, Scotland

Event: The Commonwealth Games

Nobody paid any heed to the tiny, diminutive figure practicing her skills on the floor and bars. Nor was there any reason to. Hailing from one of the smallest fringe states in a third world developing country, with virtually no previous history in gymnastics, it would be silly for anyone to judge her as even a promising talent. India's highest achievement in artistic gymnastics at that point was Ashish Kumar's men's vault silver and men's floor bronze. Not much of a pedigree or much to look up to. All that was about to change.

The 1.5m tall busy body was going about minding her own business, shaking off the nerves before taking on the world. And boy, did she put up a good show!

The fairy tale story of Dipa Karmakar starts in a distant corner of our country, which is more in the news for the wrong reasons than the right ones. Tripura has produced many gymnasts like Mantu Debnath and Kalpan Debnath, both Arjuna awardees. The birth of Karmakar added another feather to the cap of the Tripura Gymnastic Council. Born to SAI weightlifting coach Dulal Karmakar, all she had was a burning passion for sports and her family with unwavering psychological support, if not financial, behind her.

Dipa Karmakar has been in the spotlight ever since Glasgow.

Normally a taciturn but fidgety child, early in her training, her father had gone on to great lengths to ensure that she received the best training that he could provide within his means. Even if that meant taking apart the seat of his prized scooter so that she could use it to practice her vaults. Like quite a few well-known athletes before her, Dipa, too, has attained stardom despite the system.

But then, where would Arjun be, if not for the able guidance of Dronacharya? This is where Coach Bisheshwar Nandi steps in. Under his able tutelage, from the tender age of seven began Dipa's efforts to reach the top. For a decade, the duo has lovingly tended the burning flame of hopes and dreams, guarded by the unwavering support of the Karmakar family.

For every fairy tale, there are a million gallons of sweat and blood, a thousand cramps and injuries and inflamed tendons and last, but not the least, a hundred heartbreaks. With her army of stout enablers, Dipa weathered these storms, waiting patiently in her cocoon, incubating, biding her time, honing her skills, to burst forth into the world.

Hardships bore fruit soon. Flashes of brilliance were there for all to see, at the National Games in 2010, where she picked up her first National Gold. But, in sports, as in life, every year someone or the other wins the gold, the trick is to repeat. Dipa did better. Five golds at the Ranchi National Games in 2011. No looking back after that. Raking up five consecutive golds from 2010 to 2014, Dipa was here to stay.

Let's come back to Glasgow on that fateful day of 2014.

Dipa was preparing to perform the dreaded Produnova; a rarely performed and jaw-dropping vault routine so dangerous that it can result in permanent paralysis or in some cases, worse, death. It has been virtually forbidden and only two of her contemporaries had ever attempted it before - Yamilet Pena of Dominican Republic and Fadwa Mahmoud of Egypt. Just so you know, the vault currently has a high 7.0D-score, considered one of the toughest routines to perform.

She shone. Securing her highest in this routine, she made the world sit up and take notice. She had arrived.

Dipa Karmakar smiles during the medal ceremony for the Women's Vault Final.

She finished with a bronze, with an average of 14.366, just barely behind England's Claudia Fragapane (14.633) and Canada's Elizabeth Black (14.433). What makes it even more remarkable is that she had started with a measly 13.633 on her first vault, the lowest of the eight finalists. Her comeback in the second vault with a score of 15.100 secured for her the Bronze on average. The first Indian woman to secure a CWG medal in gymnastics. And only the second Indian to do so.

Recalling her Glasgow performance, the athlete gets slightly emotional. "I know I can do much better. But the kind of reception I got after reaching Delhi and Tripura, it was more than a gold medal for me."

The rest is history. Suffice to say, her career-defining performance in the 2016 Rio Olympics established her as one of the most daring gymnasts in the annals of history. She was already the jewel of India, and now has her eye on being the Taj of the entire gymnastics world.

And it all goes back to this day, that year in Glasgow.