Anju makes quantum leap

The gold went to Eunice Barber of France 6.99 and the silver was taken by Tatyna Kotova of Russia 6.74. Until Barber8217;s last jump, both Frenchwoman and the Russian had 6.74m, which came in their third attempts.

This was one occasion both Anju and the Indian athletic fraternity had been waiting for ever since she went to the US to train with the legendary Mike Powell. Those countless hours spent training had finally borne fruit.

Anju8217;s effort on Saturday also happened to be her season8217;s best, though her personal best happens to be 6.74, which is also the national record.

For someone who started as a triple jumper and switched to long jump in 2000, this is a big turnaround. The first indication of her potential came when she won a bronze in the Manchester Commonwealth Games. But she went a step further and won the gold at the Busan Asian Games. It was then that the Chennai Customs girl and her husband-cum-coach Bobby George realised that what Anju needed was better training facilities and someone who can finetune her technique.

In June this year, the 25-year-old left for California to train under Powell. At that time she had told this correspondent that 8216;8216;being the best in Asia, I think it is time that I competed in more world championships. I had trained under Mike Powell once before and I am confident that my performance will improve well in time to clinch a medal for India in the world meet and in Olympics in Athens.8217;8217;

And to travel to the US and to train with Powell she needed her plans for the future, Anju8217;s husband and coach, Bobby George, had said at that time: 8216;8216;We had planned our tour to the US in January but sponsorship confirmation and other relevant matters delayed our trip. I understand Mike was already training people for various world level events.8217;8217;

Anju, who bid goodbye to the triple jump after leaping to a new distance of 13.67 metres in the National Games in Hyderabad in December last year, had said she was retiring from the triple jump to concentrate on sprints in order improve her long jump performance. The 1.76-metre tall athlete is ranked 13th in the world presently and was ranked seventh in the World Indoor championship in Birmingham, where she covered 6.40 metres.

When Bobby George spoke to this correspondent yesterday, he was sure of her making it to the podium. His reason was simple. 8216;8216;If she has a good first jump, things should go her way. Reputations hardly mattered in such meets. It8217;s purely mental. Mike Powell thinks she is capable of achieving 7 meteres.8217;8217;

Anju, too, echoed his views. 8216;8216;I am relaxed for the moment and I know if I have a good first jump, I can get a medal.8217;8217;

That is exactly what happened. Today Anju8217;s first jump of 6.61 was the best in the field. And that set the tone of things to come. A good start certainly ensured a grand finish.