I can't see passion much in current generation of gymnasts: Dipa

 Just-retired Indian gymnastics star Dipa Karmakar believes most of current generation of gymnasts lack passion and urged m to embrace sport with fervour to excel on global stage.

Dipa, who blazed a trail by becoming first Indian woman gymnast to compete at Olympics and finish a historic fourth in 2016 Rio Games, retired earlier this month, ending a career in which she inspired awe for routinely performing highly-difficult Produnova vault.

"re was junoon (passion) in Dipa, that is why. Same for Pranati," she said when asked why re is only one Dipa or Pranati Nayak among Indian women gymnasts winning medals on international stage.

"I can't see this junoon (passion) much in current generation (of gymnasts). I feel y look for short term, instant success," she said on Friday night during a panel discussion at an event titled 'Beyond Finish Line', organised by Vedanta Delhi Half Marathon.

diminutive 31-year-old from Tripura grabbed helines with her fourth-place finish in vault final of 2016 Rio Games, losing an Olympic medal by just 0.15 points.

Tokyo Olympian Pranati has won a vault bronze medal each in 2019 and 2022 Asian Championships. Hailing from Agartala, Dipa is one of only five women in gymnastics history to have successfully executed Produnova, which involves two somersaults before landing and is called 'vault of death' owing to high risk of injury it poses.

She felt that problems plaguing national federation for some time has also not helped cause of Indian gymnastics.

"re was problem between SAI and federation. For example, selection criteria for last Asian Games (2023) were known only after actual trials.

"I want to bring changes in Indian gymnastics so that se kind of problems do not happen in future, but I can't do this alone," she said, when asked about his future plans.

While announcing her retirement, Dipa h said that she would give back to sport by becoming a coach at some point in her life or she might simply remain a "supporter of next generation of gymnasts following ir dreams".

As recently as May, Dipa won vault gold medal at Asian Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tashkent but decided to retire a few months later.

Asked why she took decision to retire, she said, "I h two ACL surgeries, shoulder and ankle injury. I was not being able to do my main event of vault way I wanted. If body is not allowing to push, re is no point of continuing." When she started sport in her home state, people would tell her why a woman should do gymnastics.

"People asked negative question like 'do women play gymnastics'? Anor thing is many people did not know where Tripura is located. y would ask wher it is in Banglesh or in norast India.

"I want to put Tripura in Indian sporting map and also to show that women can excel in sport of gymnastics." Medal in 2028 LA Olympics is target: Chirag ==================================== Star Indian men's doubles shuttler Chirag Shetty said his partner Satwiksairaj Rankireddy is currently recovering from an injury and and y will soon return to international circuit after not participating in any tournaments since ir medal-less campaign at Olympics.

"My partner is injured currently, we will start soon and make our plan. Obviously, medal in 2028 LA Olympics is target," he said.

"We wanted to win medal in Paris Olympics but that was not to be. But never say never. We have won almost every medal except for an Olympics medal. We would also like to win gold in World Championships.

"I want to win every medal sport has to offer before I retire." Chirag, reigning Asian Games men's doubles gold winner, said that singles players received more attention in country before he and his partner me ir mark.

"Earlier, people used to look up to singles players and not to doubles. re was step-morly treatment to doubles players and y did not get enough support initially. But slowly and steily, things have changed," he said.

"It's change in mindset that we can beat anybody in world which is taking us ahe." Asked about historic Thomas Cup title win, he said, " difference was in urge and jest to win title. I have played many matches much better than one in Thomas Cup final but have not played with same jest I h that day. That me difference."