The Forgotten Story of Anju Bobby George: The First Indian to win a Medal at the IAAF World Championships

Indian athletics has only a few heroes to say the least, but one name will remain synonymous with the sport in India- Anju Bobby George. The Long Jump queen from Kerala was a natural in the sport from a tender age. In 2003, she became the first Indian to bag a medal at the World Championships in Athletics when she bagged the bronze medal with a leap of 6.75 m, a performance she considers her best. It was only due to sheer hard work and persistence that she was able to make her mark in the sport, supported by her husband and coach Robert Bobby George, who himself was a former National Triple Jump champion.
We look at some of her greatest achievements in a career that lasted over a decade.

• Bronze medal clearing 6.49 m at the 2002 Commonwealth Games at Manchester
• Achieved her personal best of 6.83 m at the 2004 Olympic Games at Athens that brought her the 5th position
• Gold medal at the IAAF World Athletics Final in 2005 with a leap of 6.75 m, a performance she considers her best
• Gold medal in the women’s long jump at the 16th Asian Athletics Championship in Incheon City of South Korea with a leap of 6.65 metres in 2005
• Conferred the Arjuna award in 2002-03 and the Padma Shri, India’s fourth highest civilian award in 2004
• She is currently the Chairperson of TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) and is also the Executive member of Khelo India project instituted by the Government of India