Dipa Karmakar is my Hero, Says Indian Shooting Legend Abhinav Bindra
Dipa Karmakar missed the bronze medal by a whisker in the Rio Olympics 2016 vault final. This was the first time an Indian woman was in the final of a gymnastics event
Highlights
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Indian gymnast finished fourth in the vault final at Rio Games
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She became the first Indian to enter a gymnastics final at Olympics
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She also is the only Indian woman gymnast ever to compete at Olympics
"Dipa Karmakar, you are my hero," are the exact words tweeted by shooting great Abhinav Bindra after the Indian gymnast finished more than a creditable fourth in the vault final at the 2016 Rio Olympics on Sunday.
Social media was abuzz with Dipa's name throughout Sunday, ahead of the final in Rio de Janeiro, but the 23-year-old became a top trend on Twitter and other social networking platforms when she was participating in the summit clash and after that too.
Tributes, congratulatory messages and praises poured in after the Tripura girl made India proud, performing the difficult 'Produnova' vault in the final and missing the bronze medal by only 0.15 points.
But Bindra's tweet about the Agartala-born set her apart, considering the comment came from India's only individual Olympic gold medallist.
Dipa Karmakar you are my hero !
- Abhinav Bindra (@Abhinav_Bindra) August 14, 2016
Bindra, who won the men's 10m air rifle gold back at the 2008 Beijing Games, is well known to be someone who does not let his emotions get the better of him.
But the former world champion shooter, who played his last Olympics at Rio, also could not hold himself and went as far as to call Dipa "his hero!"
Dipa Karmakar Wins Sehwag's Praise Too
And former India opener Virender Sehwag clearly explained why a fourth place finish was no mean feat.
"Thank u #DipaKarmakar fr getting us united at midnight cheering fr Gymnastics,in a country with no infrastructure for this sport.Super Proud," tweeted Sehwag.
Thank u #DipaKarmakar fr getting us united at midnight cheering fr Gymnastics,in a country with no infrastructure for this sport.Super Proud The gymnast was not just lauded by Olympians, but cricketers, movie stars, politicians among others. Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan went on to call Dipa the "pride of India". T 2348 - #DipaKarmakar .. the pride of India .. your story is what compels us to do better ... and we will !! Many congratulations !! Sehwag put it very aptly why Dipa is being revered despite missing out on the medal. Some of India's most famous athletes also became famous after finishing fourth in the Olympics. Sprinters Milkha Singh and PT Usha are well known for their races in 1960 Rome and 1984 Los Angeles. Bindra, too, ended fourth in Rio a few days back. And now Dipa has joined these greats. "Finishing 4th in gymnastics... Comparable to Milkha Singh and PT Usha! So proud of you Dipa Karmakar!! Highlight for India in Rio 2016!" tweeted Indian tennis player Somdev Devvarman. Dipa Karmakar Has Put Gymnastics on India's Map The Indian gymnast has made one thing sure - the sport and its federation in India will be given much more importance than it has ever got in the past. "Great performance by @DipaKarmakar Super proud of her. She will not only win medals in the future but also make Gymnastics popular in India," shooter Heena Sindhu said. Yes, Dipa missed out on the medal as former cricketer Mohammed Kaif puts it, she came out a winner and "won the hearts of the entire nation!". Many more celebrities ranging from Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal to cricketers Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh and Harbhajan Singh, comedian Papa CJ, filmmaker Shoojit Sircar, actor Akshay Kumar among many others congratulated Dipa on her spectacular performance.