A decade after Rio Olympics, Dipa Karmakar begins new journey as coach
KOLKATA: It’s been almost 10 years since Dipa Karmakar ’s unforgettable fourth-place finish in the women’s vault final at Rio Olympics , where she successfully landed the Produnova vault in both qualification and the final.
The performance remains one of the defining moments in Indian gymnastics and set a new benchmark.
Having retired in 2024, Dipa is now focused on preparing the next generation of gymnasts. Recently, she travelled to Zunyi, China, for the Junior Women’s Asian Gymnastics Championships - her first international competition as a coach - with a group of youngsters who are keen to emulate Dipa.
The team, comprising Paromita Bera, Shreya Ghosh, Ananya Gupta, Anusua Howlader and Shreyanshi Roy, underwent a month-long camp under her at Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High-Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar.
Speaking about the experience, Dipa told TOI in an exclusive interaction, “It is hard to describe. It was a completely different experience from being an athlete.
“As a coach, you have to manage everything: the athletes’ health, nutrition and overall well-being. You feel a much greater sense of responsibility to ensure they are physically ready and perform at their best. Standing on the sidelines, observing and guiding them was something I really enjoyed.”
Dipa, who completed the World Gymnastics Academy Artistic Level 1 Coaches Education programme in Bhubaneswar earlier this year, has been coaching in Tripura at Netaji Subhash Regional Coaching Centre (NSRCC) Indoor Stadium and was pleased with how her wards performed.
“They were very eager to learn and were always excited. They did get nervous at times because they were competing against gymnasts from China, Japan, Kazakhstan and the Philippines,” said the Glasgow Commonwealth Games bronze medallist.
“But they still performed well despite the pressure, and I think this experience will help them immensely as they prepare for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in India.”
Speaking about what made her choose coaching, the ‘Produnova Girl’ said, “I want to give back to the country as much as I can, and being with the youngsters is the best part about coaching.”
She, however, knows there is still plenty to learn as a coach, and guiding her through the transition is Bishweshwar Nandi — her coach of more than 25 years.
“I am very proud of her. I only asked her to take up coaching in 2024 and gave her a small group to work with alongside Shreyanshi, who was training under a different coach,” Nandi said on Friday. “I guide her to the best of my ability, offer suggestions and am hopeful she will also become a good coach.”
The performance remains one of the defining moments in Indian gymnastics and set a new benchmark.
Cheteshwar Pujara on MCC honour, retirement & future coaching plans
Having retired in 2024, Dipa is now focused on preparing the next generation of gymnasts. Recently, she travelled to Zunyi, China, for the Junior Women’s Asian Gymnastics Championships - her first international competition as a coach - with a group of youngsters who are keen to emulate Dipa.
The team, comprising Paromita Bera, Shreya Ghosh, Ananya Gupta, Anusua Howlader and Shreyanshi Roy, underwent a month-long camp under her at Odisha AM/NS India Gymnastics High-Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar.
Speaking about the experience, Dipa told TOI in an exclusive interaction, “It is hard to describe. It was a completely different experience from being an athlete.
“As a coach, you have to manage everything: the athletes’ health, nutrition and overall well-being. You feel a much greater sense of responsibility to ensure they are physically ready and perform at their best. Standing on the sidelines, observing and guiding them was something I really enjoyed.”
Dipa, who completed the World Gymnastics Academy Artistic Level 1 Coaches Education programme in Bhubaneswar earlier this year, has been coaching in Tripura at Netaji Subhash Regional Coaching Centre (NSRCC) Indoor Stadium and was pleased with how her wards performed.
“They were very eager to learn and were always excited. They did get nervous at times because they were competing against gymnasts from China, Japan, Kazakhstan and the Philippines,” said the Glasgow Commonwealth Games bronze medallist.
“But they still performed well despite the pressure, and I think this experience will help them immensely as they prepare for the 2030 Commonwealth Games in India.”
Speaking about what made her choose coaching, the ‘Produnova Girl’ said, “I want to give back to the country as much as I can, and being with the youngsters is the best part about coaching.”
She, however, knows there is still plenty to learn as a coach, and guiding her through the transition is Bishweshwar Nandi — her coach of more than 25 years.
“I am very proud of her. I only asked her to take up coaching in 2024 and gave her a small group to work with alongside Shreyanshi, who was training under a different coach,” Nandi said on Friday. “I guide her to the best of my ability, offer suggestions and am hopeful she will also become a good coach.”
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