Dipa Karmakar scripted history by becoming the first Indian to make it to the individual vaults finals in the Olympic Games. The 22-year old from Tripura qualified for the much-appreciated Produnova vault in Olympics securing 15.100 points. Her feat has given India something to cheer about and remember about the Rio Olympics. The Produnova vault is one of the most difficult vaults to perform, and only five female gymnasts have performed it with Dipa being one of them. We spoke to Harish Parab, Head Coach Maharashtra Gymnastic Team and member of Maharashtra Gymnastic Association to know more about the famously risky Produnova vault.
What is Produnova vault?
The Produnova vault, is named after Russian gymnast Elena Produnova, who first landed it in 1999. It is technically a front handspring that breaks into a double somersault. In simple terms, the Produnova is what happens when you sprint at the vault and catapult high enough to flip in the air twice.
Is the Produnova vault dangerous?
There are two forms of Produnova vault backward double and forward double. While the backward double can be quite risky running the risk of injuring a gymnast s spine if not executed correctly, the forward double is not dangerous. Dipa performed the forward double vault. However, the actual challenge of the vault lies in sticking it. In gymnastics, a stick is where the gymnast lands on the feet after completing two airborne somersaults. The weight of the feet doubles at the time of landing so landing on the neck the neck instead of the feet can crack it under such weight. Egypt s Fadwa Mahmoud attempted her very first Produnova and landed on her face coming frighteningly close to injuring her neck. So the execution of part of the vault is critical.
What is the difficulty level of the Produnova vault?
Any gymnastic vault is judged on two factors difficulty and execution. Produnova vault has a difficulty rating of 7.0 which is the highest of all vaults. However, the vault is judged basis the execution. So, if your execution score is low, you will lose the competition. One can score up to 10.00 in execution. Dipa scored 7.0 on difficulty and 8.1 on execution. Want to try gymnastics? These yoga asanas will improve your flexibility.
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