The second leg of the Asian Grand Prix athletics, which begins in Guwahati tomorrow, will see ace Indian long-jumper Anju Bobby George competing almost against herself to try and meet the qualifying criteria for the Osaka World Athletics Championships. The event, which was originally not part of the tournament, was included to enable her to make the cut. But a depleted field, in which only five others are taking part, will see only one foreign athlete (from Pakistan) in action. Anju needs to clear 6.6m which is the ‘B’ qualifying mark for the World meet and given the standard of the field, it remains to be seen how she motivates herself to raise her performance. Women’s long jump has also been added in the schedule of the third and final leg of the Asian GP at Pune. Meanwhile, star athletes from 20 Asian countries have reached Guwahati for the Asian meet, adds PTI from Guwahati. As many as 225 athletes, including nine Olympians, will participate in the 22 disciplines at the Indira Gandhi Athletics Stadium. India will field a 80-member contingent, including eight from hosts Assam. The second largest contingent is from China, who have come with 36 members. Anju, who skipped the Bangkok leg of the event on June 19, told reporters that she has set herself a target of 6.6 m, the qualifying mark for the world meet. She will be in action for the first time after recovering from a leg injury. Sri Lanka’s 100 m sprinter Susanthika Jayasinghe, the fastest woman at the Doha Asian Games, would be among the star athletes.
