Dipa's father ecstatic after daughter's name recommended for Khel Ratna

The father of Indian star gymnast Dipa Karmakar, who missed the bronze medal by a whisker at the ongoing Rio Olympics, on Tuesday expressed his delight after she was recommended for the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.

The 23-year-old, hailing from Tripura, missed out on an Olympic medal by 0.150 points despite successfully executing the dangerous Produnova vault (15.266) in her second attempt to secure a remarkable 15.066 points overall.

Although she didn't manage to clinch a medal at Rio, her performance vaulted her in the reckoning for this year's Khel Ratna award.

Dulal Karamakar, a weight lifting coach with the Sports Authority of India (SAI), said he felt extremely glad to hear the news, but added that he would be even more happier if Dipa's coach Bishweshwar Nandi, who for the last 16 years has been dedicatedly giving her training and taking her up to the level of Olympics from remote Tripura, is awarded with Dronacharya Award.

Dipa's fourth-place finish in the individual vault final at the Rio Olympics is India's best performance at an international event till date.

Dipa, who vaulted into limelight with her death defying leap, had earlier created history when she became the first Indian gymnast to enter the final on her debut at the quadrennial multi-discipline games after finishing eighth in the qualifying round.