In gymnastics, India’s journey so far has been a quest for recognition. At the global level, it was majorly marked by Dipa Karmakar’s heroics at the 2016 Olympics in Rio, where her near miss at the podium in the vault final was an introduction to gymnastics for many Indians. The path to success in Indian gymnastics has, however, been characterized by scarcity and occasional breakthroughs. Pranati Nayak has been at the centre for most of them; she became a household name when she qualified for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics two years ago, becoming the only second Indian female gymnast to qualify for the Games. In September earlier this year, she stood as the sole Indian athlete amidst the formidable 655-member strong Asian Games contingent in Hangzhou.
Nayak belongs to the elite group of Indian gymnasts who have adorned themselves with international medals. Her recent performance at the National Games was historic — she secured four gold medals and a silver – but Nayak, still, isn’t too satisfied. “I could have finished with better scores, actually,” she says in an interaction with Hindustan Times.
Nayak won a gold in Balancing Beam (11.733), and also in her best event, the vault, where she scores 12.683. Her silver came in the Floor event where she secured 11.400.
“It feels good to win four gold medals, of course. There was good competition. The fact is, there were only 10 days to get ready for the National Games after we arrived from the Asian Games. So, there wasn’t anything more that we could do. In fact, my coach was also worried that there wasn’t enough time (for rest and preparations). But I kept myself strong mentally, I told myself that I could do it. I did miss out on one gold medal, and I should’ve won there.”
The 28-year-old gymnast finds most comfort in the vault event. It is where she feels most at home; during the Asian Games, she made a specific decision to skip the all-round final, focusing solely on preparing for the vault final. But Nayak was most satisfied with her performance at the Balancing Beam in the National Games, as she had never made it out of the qualifying round in the event before the 2023 edition.
“The gymnasts that are coming right now are all pretty competitive. You have got to give your best. I was particularly happy that I qualified for Beam final, because I have always struggled in that. Competition was tough, gymnastics in India have improved a lot. You have to maintain your performance at the highest level. In the end, you have to be satisfied that you gave your best, whether you win the medal or not,” says a defiant Nayak.
Since turning senior in 2014, Pranati has gained much-needed international exposure with participation in global gymnastics events. Exposure brought experience, and experience, seniority. A ‘didi’ (older sister) to budding gymnasts in Indian circuit, Pranati is a go-to person for many on the nooks and crannies of the sport.
“Most of the junior athletes are from Maharashtra and Bengal. Whenever I’m performing, they cheer me up. And that feels good. I also cheer them up. And sometimes, when they don’t do good, they come to me and are often disheartened. And that’s where I step in and motivate them. Sometimes, many are often under pressure because they are up against someone like me, and I keep telling them that just because I have played at national level, it doesn’t mean they can’t beat me,” says Nayak.
It may be a way of motivating her juniors, but Nayak is not wrong. Ever since Dipa Karmakar’s terrific showing at the 2016 Olympics, gymnastics did receive a boost in terms of facilities, with private academies springing up in different parts of the country. “It has changed a lot. Earlier, people didn’t even know about gymnastics. When Dipa didi finished fourth in the Olympics, that was the watershed moment for our sport. I have won medals afterwards, Dipa didi also won many medals. Now, there is a lot of difference. People now recognize that there are Indian gymnasts who are giving a tough competition to athletes at the world level, and it will improve further,” she believes.
Being an Olympic-level athlete, Pranati’s diet, training routines, and schedule are all, of course, cared for. But she wished she had received similar facilities early in her career.
“My target is to qualify for Olympics and being in final-8 in the vault event. It isn’t possible without the support, of course. I’m in the high-performance center in Odisha and everything is taken care of, right from my diet to my training. We have a foreign coach as well now.
“It is incredibly difficult to win an international medal. China and Japan are way ahead of us and these are our competitions. We are finally getting the exposure in India; if we had similar facilities when we were starting in our careers, we would have performed even better at the world level. Now, I’m just focusing om making the most out of the facilities that I have,” says the Indian gymnast.
The love for Vault
A bronze in 2019 Asian Championships in Ulaanbaatar; a repeat three years later in Doha. Of course, a series of top podium finishes in the National Games as well.
Vault remains Nayak’s preferred apparatus, and it all began in 2017 when she first reached the final of the event in the Asian Championships in Bangkok.
“In 2017, we had the Asian Championships in Bangkok. I went to the final in the vault event. That was a big confidence booster for me. And that was when I became more confident in vault. Over the course of time, I saw Dipa didi putting so much of hard work in vault and achieving success in it, and that inspired me as well. So, I started to particularly train in vault,” recalls Nayak.
Knee injuries aren’t uncommon in gymnastics; more so in the vault apparatus. Karmakar’s knee issues forced her to withdraw from many major tournaments including the 2018 Asian Games and the Commonwealth Games, and stalled her career for many years before her return in 2023. And Nayak recognizes the profound impact injuries can wield in a sport where athletes seldom experience prolonged peaks.
“I’ve had many injuries. And we have grown used to it. We just have to make sure our fitness levels are maintained in such a way that we don’t have a long-term injury. I did have a ligament tear that kept me out for months at a time. It is important to take rest when it happens. You do your exercises accordingly. It is better to do rehab and recover, even when it takes long, rather than exerting yourself in hope that you can fast-track your recovery and hurt yourself even more in the process,” says Nayak.
At 28, the India star firmly believes she is at the peak of her career. How long can she sustain it, though?
“You have got to maintain your fitness at the highest levels. I don’t believe that gymnasts have shorter careers. I’m 28 now, and I’m still playing. And I think I’m the only one in India doing that. I can say that I can still play for 4-5 years. It is all about maintain your fitness levels,” Nayak signs off.