Indian women saved the country from shaming itself in the Rio Olympics by winning atleast two medals. Sakshi Malik (wrestling) and PV Sindhu (badminton) won bronze and silver medal respectively, but there were some Indian athletes, who came close to a podium finish, agonisingly losing by a whisker.
Gymnast Dipa Karmakar is one of those sportspersons, who could have become the first Indian woman gymnast to win a medal in Rio, but the Tripura girl finished fourth in her event. The gymnast had already created history by becoming the first Indian woman to feature in the Olympics in gymnastics, and also become the first Indian ever to reach the finals in her discipline.
It was an incredible feat, and wrestler Skashi loved Dipa's efforts in gymnastics. Sakshi, when quizzed about whose performance she liked in Rio, the wrestler said, Dipa, who is loved by Malik for her personality as well.
"Without a doubt, Dipa Karmakar. She was breathtakingly fabulous. I was heartbroken when she didn't win a medal, but she earned respect from across the world. As a person, too, she's pleasant and loveable to talk to," Hindustan Times quoted Malik as saying.
Dipa missed out on a bronze medal in the vault finals as the Tripura girl finished fourth with score of 15.066. Giulia Steingruber from Switzerland finished third with 15.216 to break Indian hearts. Though Dipa might not have been able to win a medal, she won the hearts of millions in India, and also played an important role in introducing the sport on a larger scale in the country.
Her performance in Rio was one of the success stories of the quadrennial event for India, and the government also awarded her with country's highest sporting honour. Along with Dipa, Sakshi, Sindhu and Jitu Rai are the other Rio athletes set to receive the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna.
There is no doubt that talent exists in the country, and the government should take all measures to provide them with excellent facilities. Sakshi is pleased with the government's role in sports.
"I think government provides a lot of facilities. We have sports nurseries and academies where children are trained for free. And when we show our output by winning tournaments, the government extends more help to take us to the next level and provides better training," Sakshi said.
