FILE PHOTO: Pranati's next phase will be about finding the right balance between increasing difficulty and maintaining execution. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

For Pranati Nayak, the vault silver in Tashkent was less about the medal and more about what it restored.

After months of injury, illness and interrupted training, India’s most experienced women’s artistic gymnast needed proof that her body could absorb the demands of competition again. The FIG World Challenge Cup in Uzbekistan gave her that. It was also her first silver at the event, a result that came at the right time before a packed season featuring the Asian Championships, Commonwealth Games and the Asian Games.

“After the injury, it was a little difficult for me because I had not competed for five to six months. Before big events like the Asian Championships, Commonwealth Games and Asian Games, I needed international exposure,” Pranati told Sportstar in an interaction arranged by the  Sports Authority of India (SAI).

“The doctor told me there was no tension, that I just had to land and increase my confidence. What will help me the most for the next competition is my confidence. The fear I had after so many days has reduced after this competition,” she added.

The 31-year-old had endured a difficult build-up. She had suffered an ankle ligament injury at the World Championships in October and later missed the Senior Artistic Gymnastics National Championships in April after a bout of viral fever and tonsillitis. Two weeks before the Tashkent event, her preparation had again been disrupted by illness.

“To tell the truth, before the competition, I had a viral fever, and I was completely zero on training. I was disappointed and felt it might not happen. But sir (Coach Ashok Mishra) told me, ‘Why are you giving up? You can do it.’ I did quality training, not too many repetitions, so that I could save my energy,” Pranati said.

That cautious approach is now central to her preparation. Pranati said the next phase will be about finding the right balance between increasing difficulty and maintaining execution. With three major competitions lined up in the same cycle, she does not want to chase greater difficulty at the cost of clean landings.

“Both are important. I will focus on both because the Commonwealth Games, Asian Games and Asian Championships are very important and tough competitions. Along with difficulty, my execution should also be very good. We will have to work on both, and I have already started,” she said.

Her coach, Ashok Mishra, said the team’s immediate priority is to protect her recovering ankle while gradually rebuilding difficulty. Since vault places a heavy impact on the landing leg, Pranati has been training on double soft mats to reduce shock and improve confidence on landing.

Mishra said her backward 360 and forward 360 vaults are ready, while the higher-difficulty Tsukahara double twist remains an option depending on the level of competition.

“Our focus was not to go with very heavy difficulty because the impact on landing is strong, and her injury is not 100 per cent healed. It is around 90 per cent. So, we trained with a little less load, with more focus on execution and fixed landing,” Mishra said.

“The final decision will be taken when we reach China and see the level of competition. If the competition is stronger, we will go for the Tsukahara double twist as the first vault and stay with the 360 as the second,” he added.

Pranati, a Tokyo Olympian and three-time Asian Championships bronze medallist in vault, is also realistic about the stage of her career. Fitness, recovery and body management are now as important as training volume. During her injury phase, she said she had to follow a strict diet, avoid sweets and maintain her body weight through upper-body and core work.

For now, Tashkent has given her the one thing she needed most before the bigger tests arrive: confidence. The medal confirmed that the comeback is on track. The next challenge will be to decide how much more difficulty her body can carry, and when.

Published on May 29, 2026