Tokyo 2020: Deepak Kabra becomes first Indian gymnastics judge at Olympics

Deepak Kabra has become the first Indian to be selected for judging the gymnastics competition of the Olympic Games, a life goal achieved for the man who knew he wouldn’t have made it there as an active gymnast because of his not-so-strong fundamentals.

Kabra will be seen officiating the men’s artistic gymnasts at the Tokyo Games, which gets underway on July 23.

“I had got the invitation in March last year but then the Olympics got postponed and what followed was a nervous wait for more than a year,” Kabra told PTI.

“I got confirmation again in April but with the Covid-19 pandemic still raging there was still uncertainty whether Olympics will actually happen. But I am happy that at last, I will be able to live my Olympic dream.”

The 33-year-old from Maharastra took to the sport quite late and soon realised his fundamentals were not strong enough to make it big as an athlete.

“I started very late at the age of 12 in 2000. I used to live in Surat and the facilities were not great at that time. I competed in national-level events, also participated in the 2007 National Games in Guwahati,” says Kabra, who was a Gujarat state champion from 2005 to 2009.

“I knew I didn’t have…

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