Dipa Karmakar will not participate in this year's Commonwealth Games, starting April 4 as she is yet to completely recover from a knee injury she suffered in 2017, according to the gymnast's coach Bishweshwar Nandi.
Even as news reports said Dipa was doubtful for the quadrennial event in Gold Coast, the Dronacharya award-winning coach confirmed that his ward is yet to reach peak form despite having resumed training towards the end of last year. He also said the 24-year-old gymnast has missed the ongoing three-day trails in New Delhi.
"Yes, she will miss the Commonwealth Games. She has recovered 95% from the injury but she is not in full form. That's why we decided against participating," Nandi told International Business Times, India on Tuesday, February 13.
The gymnastics team for the Commonwealth Games will reportedly be confirmed by the end of this week. Gymnastics Federation of India (GFI) general secretary Shantikumar Singh confirmed that the ongoing trials will be final and they will not hold anymore during training camp ahead of the Gold Coast Games, according to a Hindustan Times report.
Dipa became a household name after she missed an Olympic medal at the 2016 Rio Games by a whisker (0.150 points) as she finished fourth in the women's vault event.
She is also the first female gymnast from the country to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games as she clinched a bronze in artistic gymnastics in Glasgow in 2014.
'Asian Games 2018 next target'
The Tripura woman suffered the knee injury while practicing for the trails of Asian Championships 2017 at the Indira Gandhi Indoor Stadium in New Delhi. She immediately underwent the surgery for ACL injury, which is often dubbed as "career killer", in Mumbai in April.
Dipa had told reporters in December last year that she was not particular about rushing her comeback and participating in the upcoming Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
"I don't want to go there [Commonwealth Games] for sightseeing. I would want to go to give a good performance there," Dipa had said.
Meanwhile, Nandi confirmed that Dipa's next target is the Asian Games, which will be held in Jakarta from August 18. Notably, his ward had missed a medal at the last edition of the continental event in Incheon.
