CWG 2026 | Beyond Dipa’s Produnova: India’s next gymnasts bet on getting the basics right

Balance is linked to ears, and Dipa has confidently whispered the message that she believes in their abilities, into ears of Pranati Nayak, Eshita Rewale, Nishka Agarwal and Protistha Samanta who were all picked based on their vault strength as India mounts a medal challenge at the Glasgow Commonwealth Games 2026.

Unlike Dipa, the four Indians now are not attempting terrifying vaults. But finding brilliance in basics, when judges are not blown by the nerveless execution of bravado, is difficult by itself. It’s the evolution Dipa is getting behind, as the totem of the sport.

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Pranati, big hope

Tokyo Olympian Pranati has thrice medalled at Asian Championships, so consistency is her currency, even as she manages ankle troubles. She has lived like a monk at Odisha’s high performance centre, leaning on sports science. She picks vaults working within her fitness confines, so she is slated to go with a Tsukahara 360 and a Handspring Forward Pike 360, a 360 being a single rotation. Though she will be assured of a 4.4 Difficulty score on the Tsukahara, the block on the table remains the crucial element to pull it off.

Scoring high and clean on execution is her plan to get into the finals. The Tsukahara vault demands maturity and strength that Pranati has, and minimising deductions is the trick to get into the Top 8.

Yurchenko choice

The gymnast attempting a tougher one is Nishka Agarwal, who has shadowed Pranati for years. If coach Manoj Rana can inject enough confidence, she will go for a Yurchenko with a D-score of 5.0. Her movement alignment and technique are sturdy, and she tends to cop fewer angular deductions. If she can land the double twist, she can go up to 13.8, while the Tsukahara for a 4.4 D-score can take her to 13.1, averaging out in ideal circumstances.

Yurchenko is an entry-level vault, attempted by half the field. A round-off onto the springboard is step one. A back handspring onto the vault table is step two. India’s only other CWG medallist, Ashish Kumar, explains: “The back lift-off from floor is biomechanically easier to lead to saltos or twists from the vault thereafter – 360, 540, 720. Three-four Indians have now logged a long journey on the vault,” says the 2010 daredevil from Delhi Games.

The Tsukahara is tougher than Yurchenko because you need strength for the round-off on the springboard. “The English are landing them perfectly even if it’s half a twist less,” he says of the recent Yurchenkos. But someone like Protistha, who shadowed Dipa in her early years, has that necessary strength for a 2014 encore. “Everything is about perfect landing,” Rana reminds.

Why vault

Dipa’s fourth place at the Olympics spawned a dozen dreams. Aruna Reddy became the first Indian gymnast to win a World Cup medal, on vault. Pranati has since added Asian Championship medals of her own.

The history has science behind it. India, never a gymnastics nation, has chosen vault and maxed it out for a simple reason. Despite the risk, the acrobatic aerials and the speed, a vault is judged on only two execution skills, one for each vault, while the rest of the apparatus get marked on seven skills each, over lines, passes, elements, dismounts and more.

Nationals gold medallist Eshita Rewale from Mumbai has stuck to two basics, a Tsukahara 360 and a Yurchenko stretch. A lightweight, springy athlete, Eshita will look to nail the rudimentary routines.

Competition check

The biggest name on vault that Pranati and co will be up against is Canadian Lia Monica Fontaine, a 2025 World Championships silver medallist on vault, debuting here. The debutant joins power-speed bullet Ellie Black at her fourth Games.

Defending champion Georgia Godwin returns from a full rupture of her Achilles tendon sustained before the Paris Olympics. An all-rounder who has an eponymous skill on uneven bars named after her, the Australian has said she still struggles with phantom pain. She has since earned a degree in medical imaging, and is writing a gymnastics storybook.

England’s Abigail Martin is a fiery contender, while Welsh sisters Abigail and Emily Ropers are vault specialists.