Ananya Garikpati wins India's First Gold and Silver in Rhythmic Gymnastics in Moscow
She came, she saw, she conquered—Ananya Garikpati is the 16-year-old gymnastic professional who made the nation proud at Junior Star Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship in Moscow.
An XI grade student from Hyderabad, Ananya won gold, silver and three other prizes in the two-week long event. She also became the first ever Indian rhythmic gymnast to achieve the feat.
She won an all-around gold medal as well as all-around silver medal during the event. She also won the Miss Championship title in the Saut Cup. She was also given a special prize for bravery and courage as she competed with some of the best rhythmic gymnasts in the world.
So much to brag about at such a young age and yet Ananya is quite modest about her achievements. Also, she creates her routines all by herself, even though she was trained by 2008 Olympic champion Anna Gavrilenko in Moscow. Ananya tells that the reason behind her creating her own compositions is that in India there are no trainers of rhythmic gymnastics. Thus, she has no other option but works on her routine by herself.
Nonetheless, her performance has always been spectacular. During the event, she even performed many Russian routines. Her performance was such that people (including Russian gymnasts) were coming up to her, asking her for autographs. Ananya was praised for her delicate routines and amazing compositions all through the tournament.
“The training is extremely hard but fruitful at the end. She is really blessed to be trained by an extremely humble Olympic champion,” Ananya’s told a source.
The icing on the cake was that she celebrated her 16th birthday along with her wins. She even won a prize on her birthday.
“The best thing about our trip is that Ananya turned 16 during one of the tournaments. Initially, she was not happy about competing on her birthday but it turned out to be the sweetest 16th birthday,” her mother tells excitedly.
Reaching such a great level was never easy for Ananya. With no rhythmic gymnastics coaches in India, Ananya’s struggle was harder than other gymnasts or athletes in India. However, this didn’t stop her from reaching her goals.
Even the sponsor at the third competition told Ananya, “‘I know how difficult it is to perform in a foreign country along with some of the world’s best gymnasts.” He also told her that she was a very brave girl. We agree!
Here’s wishing Ananya all the luck and success in future! Keep making us proud!
