Gymnast Dipa Karmakar has become a heartthrob of India after she became the first Indian to ever qualify for the finals of gymnastics in Olympics. Keeping in tune with the spirit, her coach Bishweshwar Nandi is leaving no stone unturned to help her finish in the podium. For this, the 23-year old's SIM card has also been removed from her mobile phone so she can entirely focus on Sunday's final.
Only Dipa's parents can stay in touch with the gymnast. Though it is her birthday today (Aug. 9), Dipa will not receive much birthday messages. But the coach maintains that the girl from Tripura does not miss her mobile much.
"I've removed the SIM card from her mobile. Only parents are allowed to talk to her. I don't want her to lose focus," Nandi told Press Trust of India.
"Her birthday celebration can wait for the moment. It's only her parents who are allowed to talk to her at the moment during the small breaks I give her. But she does not miss it. She likes to stay aloof from friends, her friends circle is very small, thanks to her tough regimen in gymnastics."
Dipa, who started her gymnastics career as a three-year-old, has been achieving great things in the sport, including bronze in the 2014 Commonwealth Games and 2015 Asian Championships.
As of now, all Indian fans are hoping for a great performance from the gymnast in Rio Olympics artistic gymnastics' vault finals. Dipa has been successful in landing the Produnova vault, which is said to be extremely difficult, and also risky. She needs to be at her best level to compete against the best gymnasts in the medal contest.
After having shone brightly in the qualifications, there are hopes from the Indian gymnast. She finished eighth in the qualifying event, and the field of gymnasts in the vault finals is tough, with Simone Biles, Hong Un-jong and Maria Paseka in the fray.
Hence, it doesn't come as a surprise that Dipa's coach is trying to maintain her focus with the tough competition ahead. One hopes such strict regime bears fruit.
