NEW DELHI: Indian gymnast
Pranati Nayak
achieved a remarkable feat by clinching the
bronze medal
in the women's vault event at the
FIG Apparatus World Cup
, a
Paris Olympics
qualifying event held on Saturday.
The 28-year-old Pranati showcased her exceptional skills and determination, scoring an impressive aggregate of 13.616 points, which earned her a well-deserved spot on the podium.
Joining Pranati in the final round was fellow Indian gymnast
Dipa Karmakar
, the renowned Olympian who secured fourth place in the 2016 Rio Olympics. Dipa finished in the fifth position in the eight-woman final, recording a score of 13.383.
The gold medal was claimed by Democratic People's Republic Korea's
An Chang-Ok
, who displayed outstanding performance with a score of 14.233. Meanwhile, Bulgarian
gymnast
Valentina Georgieva secured the silver medal, edging past Pranati on technicality despite both athletes scoring the same points (13.616).
Pranati's achievement marks a significant milestone as she becomes only the third Indian woman to win a medal at the FIG World Cup, following in the footsteps of Aruna Budda Reddy (2018) and Dipa Karmakar (2018).
In the qualification round, Dipa had finished ahead of Pranati, showcasing the high level of competition among the Indian gymnasts.
The Cairo event serves as the inaugural leg of the FIG Apparatus World Cup 2024 series, with three more legs scheduled to follow in Cottbus, Germany (February 22 to 25), Baku, Azerbaijan (March 7 to 10), and Doha, Qatar (April 17 to 20).
Points accumulated from the best three performances across the four legs will contribute to the qualification process for the Paris Olympics.
(With inputs from PTI)
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