Imagine this. You run up to a table that’s slightly inclined, a little over four feet tall. Using it, you attempt to toss yourself over into the air. But it doesn’t end there. You then rotate head over heels. Twice. And then when you’re left with no more imagination to spare, you need to land back on your feet. For Dipa Karmakar, this “vault of death” or the Produnova was her ticket to the 2016 Olympics, making her the fifth person in history to land the move. Terrifying as it may seem to many, the atmosphere on a rainy evening at Prabodhankar Thackeray Krida Sankul (PTKS) in Vile Parle — where several young gymnasts in the city train — says otherwise.

The institute is the only venue in Mumbai to have imported, International Gymnastics Federation-certified apparatus. Which is why it isn’t hard to see young, dedicated gymnasts who travel from across the city to train here. We speak to gymnastics head coach, Harish Parab, who explains that achieving facilities to match international standards comes at a premium. “It takes close to 2 crores for a full set-up. With no government institute in Mumbai, all private institutions need to take care of their own funding. So, many clubs in the city resort to opting for apparatus that is made in India,” he says.