THEY make a good pair. After more than three years of courtship, jumpers Bobby George and Anju Markose got married last year. The relationship is proving to be one of the best things to have happened to Indian athletics in a long, long time.
Bobby is more than just a hubby to Anju. He is also her personal coach and their association promises to write a new chapter in the country's long jump history.
The Kerala-born Anju, who became the first Indian woman to cross 6.50 metres, is now close to the magical seven-metre mark.
"Bobby has brought a new dimension to coaching," says former national long jump coach T. P. Ouseph. "Being a national triple jump champion himself and a mechanical engineer to boot, he has brought about a fresh scientific approach to coaching. He takes a lot of pain to read and try out modern techniques. Had I continued as Anju's coach, she would not have improved this much," said Ouseph, who trained Anju for about five years.
Fragile: handle with care. These are words that best sum up Anju. The last few years have been painful for the gifted athlete. For, despite churning out some outstanding performances, she missed the Olympics and Asian Games owing to injuries.
With Bobby to guide her, the 25-year-old Anju is in a sort of a hurry now, trying to make up for the lost time. She has improved by a stunning 30 centimetres over the last one and a half years, the biggest progress made by an Indian long jumper, male or female, in recent history.
Even her jumps have a sense of haste about them. Her last three National records were all set in her first attempts. Anju also owns the National triple jump record.
"Anju has it in her to break the seven-metre mark, probably before next year's Asian Games in Pusan," says Bobby, also a long jumper. Olympian Suresh Babu and Ouseph, one of the India's top coaches for jumps, agree.
Clearly, Anju's 6.74-metre leap at the recent domestic circuit meet in Thiruvananthapuram has shaken the athletics fraternity out of its slumber. For, it was a world class jump, the helpful pit at the University Stadium notwithstanding.
"Athletes gain a small advantage at the University Stadium's long jump pit, for there is a slight slope towards the end of the run-up," said Suresh Babu, the 1978 Bangkok Asian Games long jump champion. "And the pit lies slightly lower than the take-off board which helps jumpers. On a normal run-up and pit, Anju's jump would have been around 6.65 m. Still, it would have been a world class performance," said Suresh Babu.
For sure, any jump above 6.60 metres is world class and should put one in the top eight in major international competitions.
Anju's 6.74 m would have fetched her the sixth place in last year's Sydney Olympics and 6.65 m, the next spot. For the record, China's Guan Yingnan won the 1998 Bangkok Asian Games gold with 6.89 m and Kyrgyzstan's Yelena Bobrovskaya was last year's Asian track and field meet champion in Jakarta with just 6.66 m.
Anju is made for bigger things, says Ouseph. "Not only is she capable of breaking the seven-metre barrier, she is also our big hope for an Olympic medal," he said.
Ouseph should know. A few years ago, Anju was part of his 'golden jump trio', along with high jumper Bobby Aloysius and long and triple jumper Lekha Thomas.
The three held all National women's jump records and Ouseph predicted they would win medals at the Asian level one day. High jumper Bobby Aloysius, who won the Jakarta Asian meet gold last year, was the first to prove him true. And now, Anju's recent performances promise us the world.
If Anju does manage to cross the seven-metre mark, it will raise a lot of exciting possibilities for Indian athletics. For, the Asian record in women's long jump is 7.03 m, set by China's Xiong Qiying in Shanghai in 1997.
And even though Russia's Vilma Bardauskiene crossed the seven-metre barrier 23 years ago and Russia's Galina Chistyakova holds the world record at 7.52 m (set in 1988), the gold at the Sydney Olympics was won by Germany's Heike Drechsler with a leap of just 6.99 m, with Italy's Fiona May (6.92) and the USA's Marion Jones (6.92) taking the silver and bronze respectively. So Anju still has a chance to do well on the big stage.
Well, what makes Anju tick?"She has speed. Normally tall people tend to be slow, but Anju's advantage is that, despite a 1.76-metre frame, she has developed good speed. That's her biggest asset," says Suresh Babu.
And since Anju is also into triple jump, the Chennai Customs' Preventive Officer has gained a lot of strength, which, in fact, has helped her long jump. Another crucial factor is that Anju is as tall or taller than some of the best jumpers in the world, this should stand her in good stead at the international level.
"Since she suffers from frequent injuries, Anju goes all out in her first jump," says Bobby George, the youngest brother of volleyball legend Jimmy George.
This opening 'stunner' gives Anju an edge, for it takes the pressure off her while making her opponents tense. And since the International Amateur Athletic Federation plans to cut down the number of attempts in long jump from six to four, Anju's stars should certainly be sparkling.
Anju's long jump technique too is good, though she can still show some improvement in her take-off, feels Suresh Babu. "She is not able to convert the entire speed of her run-up into the take-off. The better your conversion rate, the bigger your jumps," he said. A crucial aspect which separates the greats from mere mortals. The reason why the last three strides in long jump are often referred to as the 'danger zone'.
Anju also needs to develop her explosive power. Fortunately, Bobby George is a man who believes in power training. In fact, Anju's weight training has improved considerably under Bobby. "And in snatch, she is now lifting double of what she used to do earlier," Ouseph said.
Anju now has to be more consistent in her performances and 6.85 m is her goal this season. The World championship in Edmonton, Canada, this August and the Afro-Asian Games in Delhi in November are her two major meets this year.
Anju should try to get into the top eight in the Worlds, says Suresh Babu. "The Worlds are normally held in cold climes, and often this becomes a problem for Keralites. So, Anju should try out a few international meets before going to Canada," feels Suresh Babu.
Thankfully, the Amateur Athletic Federation of India has plans to send Anju abroad for training and competition. But it should be with Bobby, feel many.
Efforts are also on to get some world-class coaching, even under American Mike Powell, the world record holder. But it could all be very, very expensive.
Our women jumpers have been sidelined for a long, long time. It's time for us to move mountains to help Indian athletics' golden couple now.
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