Rio Olympics: Gymnast Dipa Karmakar’s Coach Now Having Sleepless Nights

Rio de Janeiro: When Bisweshwar Nandi caught his first glimpse of the Olympic rings after touching down in Rio with his gymnastics protege Dipa Karmakar, he felt an instant surge of adrenaline.

Within seconds though, that excitement was replaced with shivers down his spine as he realised that his star pupil isshouldering the hopes of a billion people.

“I am under so much pressure. Everyone in India is expecting Dipa to create history in Rio,” Nandi told Reuters in an interview after he watched Karmakar soar into the air as she practiced her trademark vault in the Rio Olympic Arena.

“I feel that we are carrying the dreams of a billion Indians who just cannot understand how difficult it is for Dipa to get a medal here,” he said.

“Because Dipa won the vault gold in the Rio test event in April, the entire country thinks she will come back home with a medal.”

That test event proved to be the making of Karmakar.

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