Dipa Karmakar hails Paralympic Games medal winners

IMAGE: India's Mariyappan Thangavelu soars over the bar on his way to the gold medal in the men's high jump-T42 on Day 2 of the Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in Rio de Janeiro. Photograph: Ricardo Moraes/Reuters.

Indian gymnast Dipa Karmakar, who missed out on an Olympic medal by a whisker in Rio de Janeiro recently, on Sunday showered praise on Thangavelu Mariyappan and Varun Singh Bhati for winning gold and bronze in the Paralympics.

"You have achieved something what I could not. I would have loved to meet both of you in person," Dipa said in her congratulatory message.

Dipa's coach Bishweshwar Nandi said: "Proud to be an Indian. You (Mariyappan and Bhati) have made us proud."

IMAGE: India's Dipa Karmakar competes in the Vault final at the Rio Olympics on Sunday. Photograph: Mike Blake/Reuters.

India's national anthem was finally played at the medal ceremony in Rio after 21-year-old Mariyappan of Tamil Nadu won the gold in men's high jump T-42 event at the Paralympics by jumping a personal best of 1.89 metres.

Noida lad Bhati also secured a personal best of 1.86m in the same event to win a bronze as India for the first time had two members on the podium.

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