Our athletes prefer training over competition: Anju Bobby George

Anju Bobby George

The Indian contingent has performed below par at the Tokyo Olympics thus far and according to the two-time Olympian and long jump queen, Anju Bobby George, there aren't too many expectations from the country's top track and field athletes either.

Highlighting India's prospects in the track and field arena, Anju, who is also an expert panellist on Sony Sports Network, said during a virtual media interaction: "[Avinash] Sable [3000m steeplechase] is a fighter and was 13th in the World Championships. His timing is around eight minutes, 20 seconds. If he can come closer to 8:15s, he can make it to the second round.

‘Difficult for Dutee'

"In sprinter Dutee Chand's case, it's difficult because sprint events are the toughest. If she can do her best then she can make it to the second round. In the 4x400m mixed relay, our men's team are doing well but the women are a bit down performance-wise. But there are only 16 teams in the fray, so there is a chance that they will make it to the next round, but they have to fight very hard. [Javelin thrower] Neeraj [Chopra] is World No. 4, so there is a good chance that he could finish in the medal bracket."

India's only world champion at the IAAF World Athletics Final in 2005 and a silver medallist at the 2003 World Championships in Paris, Anju is currently the vice-president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). This puts her in the perfect position to explain why India cannot produce world-class athletes despite ample international exposure and funds.

Financial support

"It's true that there is a lot of financial and technical support pouring in from the AFI, the sports ministry and the Sports Authority of India. Our athletes can today go abroad and train anywhere they want. But the problem is that most of them are just not interested in competing with top-level competitors. It's easy for our athletes to get into Grand Prix competitions, but most of them only believe in training and not in competition. This is where they are missing out and that's why they cannot give their best performances when needed. In the build-up to the 2004 Athens Olympics, I had participated in 16 competitions. That's the kind of competitive experience I had then," said Anju, who finished a credible fifth in Athens with a personal best of 6.83m, a national record that still stands.