Long jumper Ancy Sojan sets new personal best, but narrowly misses Commonwealth Games mark
Ancy Sojan's performance also brought her closer to the women’s national record of 6.83 metres
Ancy Sojan's performance also brought her closer to the women’s national record of 6.83 metres
Ancy Sojan's performance also brought her closer to the women’s national record of 6.83 metres
Kerala athlete Ancy Sojan set a personal best in the women’s long jump but narrowly missed the Commonwealth Games qualification mark during the opening day of the 29th Federation Cup at Birsa Munda Stadium on Friday.
Representing the Indian Navy, the Thrissur native clinched gold in the women’s long jump with a leap of 6.75 metres in her fourth attempt, setting a new personal best.
Despite the impressive effort, Ancy fell short of the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 6.84m by just nine centimetres. Her jump, however, moved her closer to the women’s national record of 6.83m, held by former star athlete Anju Bobby George since August 2004.
Shalini Singh, representing the Anju Bobby Sports Foundation, secured the silver medal with a jump of 6.58m, while Bhavani Yadav took bronze with an effort of 6.39m.
Ancy has enjoyed a strong run this season. Earlier this year, she won bronze at the Asian Indoor Athletics Championships in Tianjin, China, with a jump of 6.21m. Last year, she also claimed silver at the Asian Athletics Championships in Gumi, South Korea, registering 6.33m.
Meanwhile, Shalini — regarded as one of India’s top active women long jumpers — has a personal best of 6.76m, achieved in April 2023.