Dipa Karmakar was too close to grabbing a medal in her first stint in the Olympics as she finished fourth in the gymnastics vault final on Sunday. Her fans in India were shattered after she failed to grab the medal but at the same time, her effort was appreciated all over. Indian sports ministry might take one more step in that regard as Dipa has been recommended for the prestigious Khel Ratna award.
Khel Ratna is India’s most prestigious and respectable award given to those athletes who bring glory to the country through an achievement in different sports. Khel Ratna has been previously given to cricketers Sachin Tendulkar, MS Dhoni, shuttler Saina Nehwal, boxer Vijender Singh, Wrestler Sushil Kumar and hockey player Dhanraj Pillay among many others.
Dipa has been recommended this year for her showcasing India on world map by her exuberant performance in Rio. She is also the first and only women gymnast from India to have represented India in Olympics in gymnastics.
In the women’s vault final, Dipa’s average score was 15.066 from her two vaults of Tsukahara-720 and Prudonova where she logged 14.866 and 15.266 respectively to finish fourth behind Switzerland’s Giulia Steingruber who logged 15.216.
Sprinter Tintu Lukha is also said to be in contention for the honour. Cricketer Virat Kohli is also in the contention to get the award.
