Kochi/Bhubaneswar: When Ansi Sujan overhauled the 22-year-old national record in the women’s long jump on Saturday, she rocked Natika, a small fishing village in Kerala’s Thrissur district.About 2,000 km from the sand pit in Bhubaneswar where they plunged 6.88 metres, two local rickshaw drivers vicariously fulfilled their sporting dreams as the long-standing record of Kerala legend Anju Bobby George disappeared into the sand. Anjou’s record of 6.83 meters was set at the 2004 Athens Olympics.One of them was Ansi’s father, Sujan E.T. The other, Sanoj’s childhood coach VV – “Kanan Mash” to everyone in Natika.
Neither man was able to go beyond the district level as athletes, stuck in the traffic jam of lack of opportunities in Indian sports.
On Saturday, they found redemption with Ansi’s majestic leap of 6.88 metres.“People laughed at me when I predicted in 2019 that Annecy would break Anjou Bobby George’s record,” Annecy’s first coach told TOI, “She was only 18 at that time. See, today my prediction has come true.”Father Sujan, who is currently recovering from a minor accident he suffered last week or else he would have been by his daughter’s side, said, “I am living my dream through my daughter.
I could not apply because we did not have the necessary facilities for training. But here she is now…”
Ansi Sujan (TOI Image)
Annecy comes from the low-income Syrian Christian community in Natica. Money was scarce, so Sanoj ferried passengers in his auto rickshaw. “We are not in a good financial position. Our income depends on the amount I earn from driving my auto rickshaw, and it varies from day to day. Currently, I am recovering from an injury, which has affected our earnings,” Sanoj recalls.“This record is dedicated to my father. He would often say that we don’t have any national level record in the family. For him, this is a reward for all the trust he has placed in me and for all the sacrifices he has made over the years. This is my way of repaying him and making him proud,” Ansi said in Bhubaneswar.Sujan’s family consists of Jhansi, 47, a housewife and Ansi’s mother. Youngest son Dominic, 24, is studying business administration while the youngest, Anjali, 20, aims to follow in her sister’s footsteps in the long jump.Not far away, Sanoj, like Sujan, was a district gold medalist in the high jump, and his sporting ambitions were over before they began. “I am not a coach. I created my academy for budding athletes like Ansi, so that I can pass on my experience to them,” Sanoj revealed.Sanoj first realized Andy’s potential when she was a teenager. “At the Under-14 State School Games in 2015, Annecy jumped 4.93m to win the bronze medal. It was amazing considering she was very young at the time, only 13,” he recalls.In 2019, Ansi exploded into the national athletics consciousness, recording a jump of 6.26 meters at the National School Athletics Meet in Sangrur in Punjab.After Annecy’s record jump in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, Sanoj noticed what some long jump experts had missed. “Even last year, the Annecy take-off extension had a problem. Not on Saturday. It was flawless,” he explained.Sujan believes that his daughter has not yet reached her full potential.
“She is not at 100% yet. She needs to improve her jump and holding time. But I am proud of her because she has erased the 22-year-old national record set by Anju. She can now break the 7m mark,” he said.Sanoj agreed. “I think she can cross the seven-metre barrier,” he said.Anjou, the OG, knew it would happen. “I’m proud of her… I watched her jump with a smile on my face. Long jump has always been a specialty of Malayalis. Proud that a Keralan broke her record,” Anju said before leaving Bengaluru to meet the new star.Young Anse also believes 7 meters is within reach.“It’s nothing,” Madam Anju told me. You broke the record, but now you have to keep doing it consistently and win medals at the World Championships and the Olympic Games. This is a world-class jump, and soon we will be moving towards 7 metres,” said a breathless Ansi.The 25-year-old, who has long been the country’s third-best long jumper behind Anju’s protégé Shaili Singh and Lakshadweep’s Mbasina Mohamed, will aim to clear 7 metres.
This has been on her mind for some time, but it requires some technical adjustments.“I faced some problems while landing. My legs were getting into the right position, but my body was not following them properly. After that, I worked on my landing technique using the hanging bar and other exercises, which helped me reach a height of 6.75 metres,” she said.Progress should be gradual. And smart.The Asian Games silver medalist said: “If I suddenly try to make a big effort at 7 metres, it may affect my jump. Right now, we are focusing on raising my stability level. The 6.70 meters range should become my minimum level.”
It will happen. “I’m more confident about it now.”Ansi’s record leap is a testament to the fact that although sporting talent can emerge from anywhere, they are usually from humble backgrounds in India. As in the case of Annecy, it could be patronized by two rickshaw-driving men who once had similar dreams.