NEW DELHI, April 21: A long cherished dream of qualifying for the Olympics achieved, India�s history-making gymnast Dipa Karmakar today said that she will leave no stone unturned in her quest for a medal in the Rio Games later this year.
Dipa returned to a hero�s welcome early in the morning three days after she became the first Indian woman to qualify for Olympics at a qualifying event in the same Brazilian city.
�Since the time I started gymnastics, I wanted to compete at the Olympics. I had dreamt that one day I will compete at the Olympics and bring laurels for my country. I have qualified for the Olympics now,� 22-year-old Dipa told reporters with a sigh of relief.
�Now, I will work harder than before and hopefully I can win a medal at the Rio Olympics. I will put every effort to ensure that I keep creating history. That is my target now,� said Dipa who reached here after a 36-hour-long flight from Rio de Janeiro.
Asked about the effort she had to put in to qualify for the Olympics, the Tripura girl said, �I wanted to qualify for the Olympics last November during the World Championships (where she finished fifth). But that did not happen (a podium finish was required).
�So, my target at the Rio Test event was to qualify at any cost and I am happy that I have achieved my target,� Dipa said.
Dipa qualified in artistic gymnastics for the Olympics after she garnered a total score of 52.698 points. Apart from being the first Indian woman gymnast, she also became first from the country to qualify for the Olympics after 52 long years. � PTI
