Introduction

Anju Bobby George does not need any introduction. She made history when she won the bronze medal in the long jump at the 2003 World Championship in Paris. She became the first Indian athlete ever to win a medal in a World Championship in athletics jumping 6.70 meters. She went on to win the gold medal at the IAAF World Athletics final (a competition between the best eight athletes in the world based on the world ranking) in 2005. Anju was upgraded to gold status from silver in the 2005 World Athletics Final in Monte Carlo after Tatyana Kotova of Russia was disqualified by the International Association of Athletics Federations, following the re-testing of the latter's sample collected at the 2005 World Championship in Helsinki. Anju has received the country’s best awards like Arjuna, Khel Ratna, and Padmasree. In March 2021, the 45-year-old athlete won the BBC lifetime achievement award for the best athlete in India. Currently, for the last year, she is the vice president of the Athletics Federation of India. 

The desire to promote Athlete

Being one of the vice presidents of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) Anju Bobby George wants to stand and promote the country’s established as well as budding athletes.

She said, “Now, there are more renowned athletes who have come in the AFI administration to develop the standard of the game. So now, it is a collective effort.”

According to Anju, some disciplines like the long jump, and javelin have already been shortlisted and AFI is mulling over providing advanced training for the promising and talented athletes in those disciplines in near future. 

She added, “The athletes who are being shortlisted as medal contenders will get an opportunity to make exposure tours more in numbers than the previous occasions. Before the Asian Games this year, they will be going to international competitions like Asian Indoor Games.”

On Her Sports Foundation

Anju Bobby George and her husband, her coach, and mentor also, Robert Bobby George have built up Anju Bobby Sports Foundation (ABSF) in Bangalore and in the last four years this athletics school, especially the institution of the long jump has produced athletes of international class. The 17-year-old Shaili Singh should lead the list of athletes from ABSF. The girl has already ensured a silver medal in the World Under-20 competition, jumping her personal best of 6.59 meters. 

Anju said, "Now we have 16 prodigious athletes. Most of them are preparing themselves to be long jump specialists. Along with Shaili, there are more talented long jumpers in the academy who have been winning medals at the national level like Deepanshi Singh and Aishi Biswas. We have plans in near future to invite legendary long jumpers to our academy. They will be sharing their experience, and skill, through clinics. This will help our students to develop their game more."