Pranati Nayak pumped up for Paris 2024 Olympics gymnastics qualifiers

At Tokyo 2020, Pranati Nayak became only the second female Indian gymnast after Dipa Karmakar to represent India at the Olympics.

With just months to go for the Paris 2024 Olympics, the 28-year-old Pranati has her eyes firmly set on making the cut for the Summer Games one more time.

Speaking to Olympics.com, Pranati Nayak admitted that the path to Paris is not going to be an easy one.

To secure a quota for Paris 2024, Pranati will be competing at the 2024 Apparatus World Cup series, where four different events are scheduled between February 15 and March 10 in four countries - Egypt, Germany, Azerbaijan and Qatar.

Points from the best three performances out of the four will be considered and the two highest-ranking gymnasts per gender for each apparatus will obtain Paris 2024 Olympic quotas via this path, provided they have not previously qualified and are eligible.

If that does not work out, Pranati Nayak’s final chance to obtain a quota for the Paris Olympics will be via the 2024 Asian Championships in May, where the highest-ranked athlete in the all-around events will secure a berth.

Pranati made the cut for the Tokyo Olympics after winning the bronze medal at the 2019 Asian Championships in the vault event.

The two-time Asian Championships bronze medallist, who won the women’s vault gold medal at the Artistic Gymnastics National Championship 2024 earlier this month, Pranati also talked about her mental health, struggles and the future of gymnastics in India.

Excerpts

Q: The Olympic year is here and upcoming events would be crucial if you are to obtain a quota for Paris 2024. Your goals for the New Year?

Pranati Nayak: Becoming the first Indian gymnast to qualify for back-to-back Olympics would be great and that thought drives me to give my best. I can qualify for the Olympics through the four World Cup series starting in February and the Asian Championships to be held in May.

I have already secured my spot in the World Cup series and will be focussing on the vault event there because it offers me the first chance to secure one of the two available Olympic quotas.

However, regardless of whether the quota comes through the World Cup series or the Asian Championships, I am all set to give it my best shot and try to qualify

Q: What was it like being the only Indian gymnast competing at the Asian Games despite otherwise being a large Indian contingent?

Pranati Nayak: While I felt fortunate to be the sole Indian gymnast at the Asian Games in Hangzhou last year, I believe having teams is crucial. It's challenging when the entire pressure falls on a single athlete to win a medal, especially with tough competition from countries like China and Japan.

Q: Gymnastics has not been a popular sport in India. Your thoughts?

Pranati Nayak: I trained under Minara Begum for around 16 to 17 years in Kolkata and finding a base since she retired in 2019 has been difficult. Sometimes I had to move to Delhi to train under a different coach and then sometimes had to shift camp to SAI centres. Adapting my fitness regimen for various tournaments under different coaches was challenging and now I think my persistence has been finally rewarded.

The last six to seven months have been better. I have been training at the Odisha AM/NS India High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar and the facilities and coaching staff here have been excellent.

Q: Could you shed light on some of the challenges you faced as a gymnast in India and the methods or mindset that helped you overcome these challenges to reach your current level?

Pranati Nayak: I started gymnastics at the age of six, not knowing much about the sport at that time; we simply referred to it as yogasana. Nevertheless, I was deeply passionate about it from the beginning. I was so committed that missing even a single day was difficult for me. Some days, I would spend entire days in the gym, even if not training much, simply because being there felt like being at home.

My entry into gymnastics was due to the support of my parents, who wished for at least one of our three sisters to pursue a career in gymnastics.

I come from a small village of Midnapur, West Bengal which did not have a training facility. So I shifted to Kolkata, stayed in a hostel and eventually started training under Minara Begum.

Q. What was the most inspiring moment in gymnastics?

Pranati Nayak: Witnessing Dipa Karmakar win a vault medal at the Commonwealth Games in 2014 was inspirational; being present at that moment boosted my confidence and encouraged me to aim for success on such big stages. Consequently, I started focusing more on the vault event.

Q. How do you take care of your mental health?

Pranati Nayak: Every athlete faces ups and downs. When feeling disturbed, I take time to focus inwardly to regain my strength, avoiding getting affected by others' opinions. It's vital to find peace by spending time alone and introspecting. Trusting my inner circle, especially talking to my parents when feeling down, helps me navigate through tough times.

Q. You and Dipa Karmakar have significantly contributed to the rise in gymnastics' popularity in India. Do you believe the younger generation of gymnasts can build upon the momentum you have generated in recent years?

Pranati Nayak: Junior championships were also held in Bhubaneswar and I can surely tell that when Dipa and I leave, there are quite a few upcoming gymnasts who can make a name for themselves. I am optimistic about the future of gymnastics in India. I can see some boys and girls from Delhi, West Bengal and Maharashtra producing impressive performances.