Anju is prepared

Wherever I have gone in the last few months, I have been repeatedly asked one question: Will Anju Bobby George be able to bring an end to In...

Wherever I have gone in the last few months, I have been repeatedly asked one question: Will Anju Bobby George be able to bring an end to India8217;s athletics medal drought in the Athens Olympics? And as I start my column, I8217;m sure my readers would like me to address the same issue.

Frankly, it8217;s a difficult question, but let me answer it purely from the athletics point of view. While all Indians, including yours faithfully, will wait with bated breath and pray for the best on August 25 8212; when Anju starts her campaign in the qualifying rounds 8212; it is perhaps time to take stock of the situation in a more practical manner.

Anju, a very dear friend of mine and the holder of India8217;s national record 6.74m, raised hopes of an Olympic medal after she won the bronze medal in the World Championship. She was ranked fifth in the world a few days ago, but has slipped to the sixth place only recently. In 2004, Anju has cleared 6.71 and over 6.80m twice 8212; 6.82 and 6.83m in Doha, Qatar and in Eugene, Oregon. But both these fine efforts were wind-assisted with the tail wind just half a metre per second over the permissible limit for record purposes.

Athletics is a sport where the performance chart reveals quite a few things. And, going strictly by it, I feel she will have to really fight it out to finish in the medal bracket. There are quite a few around who have already performed enough to leave Anju behind even if they manage to stick to their normal performance.

I may sound too pessimistic but let me put the facts and figures together for you to judge the situation. There are at least seven girls, who have cleared much more than Anju in 2004. While Tatyana Lebedeva of Russia did the best this year with 7.33 at Tula, others like Irina Simagina Russia, 7.27, Elva Goulbourne Jamaica, 7.16, Marion Jones US, 7.11, Tatyana Kotova Russia, 7.00, Carolina Kluft Sweden, 6.97 and Gracy Upshaw US, 6.84 have done better. Naturally, they stand a better chance when it comes to winning a medal in the Olympics.

However, it would be improper to say that Anju8217;s hopes have already been dashed and I am the last person to buy this theory. As a former athlete who has competed in the world stage for many years, I know that things can change dramatically on the day of the competition. After all, medals aren8217;t awarded on the basis of previous showings. The athlete has to perform on that particular day to stand on the podium.

If I still believe that Anju can win a medal, that is because I know she has prepared in a near-perfect manner in the tune-up to Athens. She has received the right corporate and family backing, has done long-term training, has participated in quite a few major meets and, most important, has gained the required confidence to do well when it matters most.

Story continues below this ad

Anju once told me that she has cleared up to 6.95 in training. If she can maintain that in the Olympics, then I8217;m sure she has an outside chance to be the first Indian athlete after Norman Pritchard to win a medal for India.

Other than Anju, I don8217;t think any other Indian athlete can really stretch our imagination in Athens. High jumper Bobby Aloysius may offer some fight as she has undergone good training in Moscow and England. But her best effort of 1.91 can hardly match the performance of athletes like Yelena Slesarenko Russia, Hestrie Cloete US, Blanka Vlasic Croatia, Vanelina Veneva Bulgaria or Iryana Mykhalechnko Ukraine, who have cleared more than two metres in 2004.

Chivach Sports