Ace gymnast Dipa Karmakar  on Monday thanked Indians for their ‘prayers’ and sent Independence Day wishes to the entire nation via a video posted on her verified Twitter handle.

Dipa Karmakar narrowly missed the Rio Olympics  bronze on Sunday night, but won the hearts of millions in Tripura and other parts of the country.

Dipa narrowly missed the Rio Olympics gymnastics bronze on Sunday night, but won the hearts of millions in Tripura and other parts of the country.

Dipa's parents, relatives, friends and admirers said that though she missed the medal by a whisker, the Tripura girl performed better than earlier.

"My daughter's performance in the final event was good. We are extremely happy about her performance," Dipa's father Dulal Karmakar told reporters after television screens flashed the result.

He said he was proud his daughter went to the world's top class gymnastic event from a modest household in India's small state like Tripura.

Dipa's mother Gauri Devi said: "Our daughter will do better in the 2018 Winter Olympics. She will win gold definitely."

The 2018 Winter Olympics are set to take place in South Korean city of Pyeongchang.

A large number of people and journalists from India and abroad had gathered at Dipa's home at Abhaynagar on the outskirts of Tripura's capital Agartala since early Sunday evening.