Anju attempts impossible leap

A year after she started training with her new born son in a pram by the track side jumper Anju Bobby George has set herself a challenging goal

A year after she started training with her new born son in a pram by the track side jumper Anju Bobby George has set herself a challenging goal. The urge to be in the adrenaline-charged Olympic arena and to rub shoulders with the best in the world,has seen the 35-year-old mother of a two-year-old push her aging body one last time as she aims for a berth at the London Games.

With the Olympics just a bit more than a couple of months away,time is running out for the one-time World Championship bronze medalist,whose last outing was the Beijing Games four years back. Planning to enter about six meets in Europe in the coming days,she has her eyes on equaling 6.65 metres or attempt to achieve the B-Standard Qualification mark. But the odds are stacked heavily against her.

I have worked hard over the past year to get back into shape while juggling between being a mother and an athlete. If I do well in my first competition I will gain confidence. I may be a former top-5 athlete but I am under no illusion about where I stand and about the difficulty of the task ahead, Anju said on Tuesday.

Anju knows she faces several obstacles on her arduous journey to the London Games. For starters,she isnt happy with the way her training has gone. The long hiatus from the track meant her muscles are stiff and her recovery after a hectic session not as speedy as it used to be. Moreover,the parental responsibilities on herself and husband cum coach Robert Bobby George too has,at times,disrupted their schedule.

Anju started training a year back with a very basic aim 8211; to lose weight. She was to shed 20 kgs in a matter of few months. After squeezing into her track pants,the jumper became ambitious and wanted to be at London in July-August. At one point,Anju even hoped for an Olympic medal,the one that eluded her in 2004 and 2008. These days the targets are more realistic.

My comeback has been tougher than I thought. There have been setbacks too which has put me behind schedule. I first started jumping again a year back but recently I couldnt train as much as I wanted to because of minor niggles. Overall,I am satisfied with where I am but I need to work harder on my jumps in order to peak when I participate in the upcoming European meets,which are qualifying events for the Olympics, Anju added.

As her training enters the final leg,Anju might look to Heike Drechsler for inspiration. The German jumper,36,returned after child birth to win gold at the Sydney Games. But if she isnt on the podium,Anju wouldnt be heartbroken. If I dont make it at least I will be satisfied that I tried my best in my attempt to participate in London.