Inaugural Indian Open Jumps Competition: Kerala’s promising jumper Ancy Sojan keen to make a mark this year

Kerala’s Ancy Sojan dominated the women’s long jump event at the inaugural edition of the Indian Open Jumps Competition in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. The 21-year-old sprinter-cum-long jumper's gold-winning jump of 6.51m was her personal and season's best.

The 2021 U20 junior national champion's previous best was 6.36m, recorded in 2020. She couldn’t improve her performance last year due to a heel injury.

But having fully recovered now, she is raring to go and is eyeing a spot in the long jump at the Commonwealth and Asian Games.

“My daughter will focus on the long jump this season and not sprints,” Ancy’s father Sojan ET told Sportskeeda. “She has better chances of achieving the qualifying mark in the long jump for the Commonwealth and Asian Games competitions than in 100m and 200m.”

The Thrissur-born athlete joined the national camp in Bengaluru last year.

“With better practice facilities in Bengaluru, we hope she is able to further improve this year,” Ancy's father said.

Ancy's long jump career graph has been steady. It took her nearly three years to break the 6m barrier in the long jump. Having managed 5.97m in 2017, Ancy soared to 6.36m in the 2020 season.

While her 100m personal best last year was 12.04 seconds, she clocked 24.24 seconds in 200m.

Ancy's main rival in the long jump this year will be 18-year-old Shaili Singh, whose silver-medal performance at Kenya’s 2021 World U20 Championships was 6.59m.

In a packed 2022 calendar, it is too early to predict which major international events Ancy will mainly concentrate on.

The July 15-24 Eugene World Athletics Championships is one of the major global competitions. Birmingham Commonwealth Games in early August and Asian Games in September are the other two major events lined up this year.

“By recorded a personal best of 6.51m in the long jump, it is a positive start to the 2022 season," Ancy’s father said. "We hope Ancy stays healthy and is able to further sustain her efforts in coming months."

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