Dipa misses medal by a whisker but gifts India a milestone in self-belief

RIO DE JANEIRO: Milkha Singh: 0.1 seconds; P.T. Usha: 0.01 seconds; Dipa Karmakar: 0.15 points. Those are the slender margins that have denied three of India's finest Olympians a podium finish over the past half-century, the last of the heartbreaks coming in Rio tonight just as India welcomed Independence Day. Heartbreak? Some of the Indian fans looked despondent but the smile never left the Tripura girl's face as she moved about the arena, talking with her natural flair and grace.

"I didn't expect a medal here," Dipa said. "I'm happy to finish fourth on a world stage competing against some world-famous opponents," she said. Far away in Agartala, father Dulal was a gracious loser too. "The jump from eighth (Dipa's position in the previous round) to fourth is big. I'm very happy," he said. "This will give her a lot of confidence for the 2020 Games." Only an hour earlier, Sania Mirza had been in tears after losing her bronze-medal mixed doubles match. Tears rolled down her eyes as she stepped off the court, and partner Rohan Bopanna had to console her all the way to the locker room. On Monday, even the normally cool Abhinav Bindra had looked shaken after finishing fourth in the 10m air rifle. When Dipa finished her two vaults tonight, her Tsukahara and Produnova giving her a final score of 15.066, she was second among the six who had performed, with two more to go. But those two were 2015 world champion Maria Paseka of Russia and the all-conquering American Simone Biles. Dipa said she had never hoped to stay second. "I knew the fight would be tough. I was participating in my first Olympics; most of the others were two or three Olympics old." Dulal had a small regret: "Had her hip not touched the mat (while landing after the Produnova), she would have been up there among the top three."

Dipa's coach Bishweshwar Nandi echoed him: "She did extremely well, and I'm happy for her. But her landing was deep during the Produnova - she is capable of a better showing." But Dipa, who scored a 15.266 for her signature vault, said: "I'm extremely happy with my Produnova. It was the highest score of my career." In Agartala, there was a stadium feel to the terrace of the Karmakars' two-storey house in the Abhaynagar locality, with reporters, camera crew, relatives and neighbours jostling for space before the screen where TV images were being projected. The first time Dipa came on screen, the crowd erupted. "Indian! Indian!" exclaimed a man. Catcalls greeted every fumble, stumble or tumble by any of Dipa's rivals. Dipa's mother betrayed no emotion. "Dipa had called me before leaving the Games Village for the venue at 7pm and said, ' Ami thik achhi (I'm fine)'," Gouri Karmakar said. " Sabdhaney jao (travel safe)," was all that the mother had to tell her. Dipa said her achievement was in no way lesser than the medal-winners'. "They come from nations with a rich gymnastics history. Back in India, we don't have much of gymnastics, foreign exposure or foreign coaches. Our gymnasts work in their own style. It was my first Olympics, yet I was able to make a mark," she said. Asked whether she would be back four years later to try and win gold, Dipa eschewed any hype. "Four years is a long time; one can't say where I would be then," she said. Biles won gold and Paseka the silver. Giulia Steingruber of Switzerland grabbed the bronze. -The Telegraph Calcutta