Page 100 - English Expedition Class 2

15 In Perfect Balance

Dipa Karmakar was born on 9 August 1993 in Agartala. She is the first Indian female
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gymnast to compete in the Olympics. In 2016, she finished fourth at the vault event held in
Rio. She grew up in Tripura and began learning gymnastics from an early age. Read about her

journey from Agartala to Rio.

Dipa loved to jump. She loved to climb
trees. But most of all, she loved to run

and play with her Puja Didi. Dipa lived in
Agartala, the capital of Tripura. Agartala is
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green and beautiful with agarwood trees
and pineapple, orange and litchi orchards.

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Her Baba was a national weightlifting
champion. On most days, she went with
him to the gymnasium, where he was a
coach. Ma and Baba wanted both their

daughters to take up sports. So, at the age
of five, Dipa started training. Gymnastics
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5
is a lot like acrobatics and aerobics :
quick movements, tumbling and soaring,
somersaults on narrow beams, vaults and
uneven bars. Gymnastics needs balance,
mental effort and control over muscles.
One wrong step can mean a serious

injury.
Dipa started training, but she was so scared of falling that she wouldn’t even step
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onto the beams. She threw tantrums and complained a lot. But Baba believed that she

1 gymnast: an athlete performing gymnastics exercises on 5 aerobics: a form of exercise that involves rhythmic
bars, beams, vaulting horse, etc. movements
2 agarwood: a fragrant wood used in perfumes 6 tantrum: fi t of temper, typically in a child
3 baba: (here) father
4 acrobatics: gymnastic feats
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