india
With her retirement announcement on Monday at the age of 31, eight years after coming dangerously close to winning a historic Olympic medal in Rio de Janeiro, it marked the end of an era in Indian gymnastics.
“I have made the decision to withdraw from competitive gymnastics after giving it a lot of thought. Although it’s not an easy choice, now seems to be the ideal moment.
Five months after being the first Asian woman to win a vault gold at the Asian Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, Karmakar has made her decision.
It was her first time competing in the Senior National Championships in eight years, and she had taken home many medals in January of this year.
“I thought I could push my body further until my last victory at the Asian Gymnastics Championship in Tashkent, but sometimes our bodies tell us it’s time to rest, even if the heart doesn’t agree,” Karmakar continued in her statement.
After missing several years of competition due to two Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) surgeries and a 21-month suspension for doping, Karmakar was beginning to make a triumphant comeback.
Despite sending at least one participant to the previous two editions of the world’s largest multi-sport event, India did not send a gymnastics team to the Paris Olympics as a result of her steady climb in riches in recent months.
