Dipa Karmakar returns after 21-month ban, to compete in Asian Games trials

"It is confirmed I will be participating in the trials. I have been training in Agartala last few months, so hope for the best," Dipa told PTI over phone. When Dipa won the vault competition at the 2018 Artistic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup in Turkey, she became the first gymnast from India to take home a gold medal at a major international competition. In the same year, she also took home a bronze in Cottbus.

She also won the bronze medal at the 2015 Asian Championships in Hiroshima and the bronze at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow. However, setbacks hampered her career since in 2017, she required surgery to repair an anterior cruciate ligament injury.

She missed a number of competitions, including the 2019 World Championships, and was unable to qualify for the Tokyo Games as a result of the persistent injury.

Dipa was forbidden by the International Testing Agency (ITA) in February of this year as a result of her out-of-competition dope sample on October 11, 2021 testing positive for higenamine, a chemical that is against the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) rules.

Bishweshwar Nandi, Dipa's coach, who helped her to a historic fourth-place result at the Rio Olympics in 2016, stated that she had been training for the previous two to three months. "Now the only focus for her is doing well in the trials," he said.

According to the format of the trials, "All gymnasts will have the opportunity to perform in the event for which they are eligible. The all-around scores and results from Day 1 will be final."

"Gymnasts wishing to be considered as Vault event specialist must perform 2 vaults.".

On the second day, the "gymnasts will have the opportunity for a 2nd Performance for the purpose of evaluation for Individual Apparatus."

"Gymnasts identified for All Around may choose any one or more apparatus for the 2nd performance. Their scores however will be considered only for that respective apparatus, their all-around score and all-around ranking from Day 1 will not undergo any change."

"Gymnasts identified for only individual apparatus may choose any apparatus within their eligibility for 2nd performance."

"The best of the 2 performances will be considered for final ranking list for individual apparatus. The selection committee may nonetheless consider both performances.".

"To provide the gymnasts the ability to continue their usual training, an option is hereby accorded to all gymnasts to skip performing and have their previous score considered for the purpose of this selection in the following manner."

"Gymnasts who were selected and participated at the 2023 Asian Championships may have their scores from the Asian Championships considered for selection."

"Gymnasts who were not selected for the 2023 Asian Championships may have their scores from the previous trials of May 2023 considered for selection.".

Pranati Nayak, a bronze medalist at the 2019 Asian Championships and a Tokyo Olympian, feels optimistic about her prospects of making the cut in the all-around competition.

"I suffered a shoulder ligament tear before the National Games in Gujarat. I recovered and returned to action at the Asian Championships. I didn't get much time to train so the performance was not up to the mark," Nayak said.

"But I am feeling much better and hope to put up a good score at the trials and qualify. I will be in best shape before the Asian Games," she added. 

(With PTI inputs)