Odisha Gymnasts Rakesh & Tapan Shine In Bhubaneswar, Qualify For India’s Asian Games Team

Bhubaneswar: Odisha’s Rakesh Patra and Tapan Mohanty shone in the Artistic Gymnastics selection trials for upcoming Asian Games which concluded at the Gymnastics Centre, Kalinga Stadium, here on Wednesday.

Haryana’s Yogeshwar Singh topped the men’s senior individual category, followed by the Odisha duo to qualify for the Indian team.

In women’s senior individual category, Olympian Dipa Karmakar was placed first, followed by Pranati Das and Pranati Nayak.

The event, organised by Gymnastics Federation of India in association with Sports & Youth Services Department, Odisha, brought together the finest gymnasts from across India as they battled for places in the Indian team.

Mohanty was elated to have made the cut for Asian Games.

“This was my first time in trials for Asian Games… the competition was full of top quality athletes. It feels truly special to be selected to represent India. I hope I can make India and Odisha proud,” said Mohanty.

Praising the Odisha AM/NS Gymnastics High-Performance Centre, Mohanty said: “I would not have been able to achieve this without the support system we have. I have worked very hard and my coaches have also worked very hard to prepare me. The facilities are better than many International facilities. Also, I have been able to work with other athletes who train here on improving my skills and they have also been very supportive.”

Dipa, who missed out on a medal by a whisker in the 2016 Rio Olympics, lauded Odisha’s commitment to sports and opined that many gymnasts are likely to emerge from the state.

“The standard of High Performance Centre is very good, and there are three more across Odisha, which will surely help athletes grow,” said Dipa, who has come back from a long injury layoff.

India’s gymnastics coach Bishweshwar Nandi also praised facilities at the Gymnastics Centre and appreciated the initiatives of Odisha to promote the sport.