Dipa Karmakar: Tripura's 'Lambi Race ka Ghoda'
Speaking at the Assam Rifles Maidan on the occasion of Independence Day, Tripura Chief Minister Manik Sarkar hailed Dipa Karmakar's perfeormance at Rio Olympics 2016, and called her a 'lambi race ka ghoda'
Highlights
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Tripura CM Manik Sarkar hailed gymnast Dipa Karmakar's feats at Rio 2016
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Karmakar pulled off a stunning fourth-place finish in the vault final
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Sarkar called Karmakar a 'lambi race ka ghoda' during his I-Day speech
Following her stupendous performance at the Rio Olympics finals last night, Dipa Karmakar was the toast of Tripura on Monday. At his annual Independence Day address to the state, Chief Minister Manik Sarkar began by talking about Dipa, as praises poured in for her on Twitter as well.
Speaking at Assam Rifles Maidan, Mr. Sarkar called Dipa Karmakar 'lambi race ka ghoda'. "Yesterday at midnight as many of you know, or Dipa performed brilliantly at an international platform like the Olympics in artistic gymnastics. She may have missed out on a medal by a whisker but she has made all of us proud. I am sure this is just the beginning and she has a lot more in store for us in the future."
Dipa Karmakar joined a list of Indian greats like PT Usha and Milkha Singh after finishing fourth at the Olympics. However Dipa has made her intentions very clear. It has to be a medal for her country at the Olympics. She is not satisfied with the fourth position.
In an interview to NDTV at Rio de Janeiro, Dipa echoed the same thing even as her coach said she performed whatever she had learned, very well. "I am very unhappy that I could not win a medal, but I am sure next time I will be able to win," she said.
On Twitter, the 23-year-old athlete said, "Dear 1.3 billion people, can't make your dreams come true. Sorry again for that, can't stop blaming myself for what happens (sic)!"
But on Twitter, where the gymnast's followers shot up to 15.6 thousand in the last few days, the message to the golden girl of Tripura was simple. Most tweets praised her grit and credited her with putting Indian gymnastics on the international map.
Many compared her feat to better than the winner as she attempted the Produnova, also known as the 'vault of death'. Olympic gold medallist Abhinav Bindra called Dipa Karmakar his hero and Simone Biles, who won the gold medal when asked if she would attempt the Produnova said, "I am not planning to die."
The Tripura Chief Minister also asked parents to take inspiration from Dipa and allow their children to participate and excel in sports. He said her parents supported her in her mission to be a gymnast despite hurdles and that has made Dipa Karmakar who she is today.