Two authors, one goal: The making of India’s new long jump queen, Ancy Sojan

KOCHI/BHUBANESWAR: When Ancy Sojan broke the 22-year-old national record in the women’s long jump on Saturday, it shook Nattika, a small fishing village in Kerala’s Thrissur district, into a wake.About 2,000 km from the Bhubaneswar sandpit where it landed at 6.88m, two local autorickshaw drivers who were vicariously fulfilling their own sporting dreams when Kerala legend Anju Bobby George’s long-standing record disappeared into the sand. Anju’s 6.83m was set at the 2004 Athens Olympics.One of them was Ancy’s father, Sojan ET. Second, her childhood coach Sanoj VV — “Kannan Mash” to everyone in Nattica. Neither of the men made it past the district level as athletes, stuck in the traffic jam that is a dearth of opportunities in Indian sport. On Saturday, they found redemption through Ancy’s majestic jump of 6.88m.“People laughed at me when I predicted in 2019 that Ancy will break Anju Bobby George’s record,” Ancy’s oldest coach told TOI, “She was barely 18 then. Look, today my prediction came true.”Dad Sojan, who is currently recovering from a minor accident he suffered last week, otherwise he would have been by his daughter’s side, said: “I am living my dream through my daughter. I couldn’t progress because we didn’t have the facilities to train. But now she is here…”

Ancy Sojan (Photo by TOI)

Ancy comes from Nattica’s lower-income Syrian Christian community. Money was scarce, leading Sanoj to ferry passengers in his autorickshaw. “We are not doing well financially,” Sanoj recalled, “our income depends on how much I earn driving my autorickshaw and it varies from day to day. I am just recovering from an injury so that has affected our earnings.”“This record is dedicated to my father,” said Ancy in Bhubaneswar, “He often said that we don’t have a national-level record in our family. For him, this is a reward for all the trust he put in me and all the sacrifices he made over the years. This is my way of giving back and making him proud.”The Sojans are Jansy, 47, Ancy’s stay-at-home mother. Younger son Dominic (24) is studying business administration, while youngest Anjali (20) wants to follow in her sister’s footsteps as a long jumper.Not far away, Sanoj, like Sojan, a district level gold medalist in the high jump, sporting ambitions ended before they began. “I am not a trained coach myself. I started my academy for budding athletes like Ancy to pass on my experience to them,” revealed Sanoj.Sanoj first realized Andy’s potential when she was just a teenager. “At the U-14 State School Games in 2015, Ancy jumped 4.93m to win bronze. It was remarkable considering she was so tiny then, just 13,” he recalled.In 2019, Ancy burst into the national athletics limelight, recording a jump of 6.26m at the National School Athletics Meet in Punjab, Sangrur.After Ancy’s record jump in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, Sanoj noticed what some long jump experts may have missed. “Until a year ago, Ancy’s takeoff extension had a problem. Not on Saturday. It was flawless,” he clarified.Sojan reckoned that his daughter was yet to reach her full potential. “She’s not 100% there yet,” he said, “She needs to improve her jump and hold. But I’m proud of her for clearing the 22-year-old national record set by Anju. Now she can break the 7m barrier,” he added.Sanoj agreed. “I believe he can break the seven-meter barrier,” he said.Anju, the OG, knows this will happen. “I am proud of her… I watched her jump with a smile on my face. Long jump has always been a Malayali specialty. I am proud that a Keralite broke my record,” Anju said before leaving Bengaluru to meet the new star.Young Ancy also believes that 7m is within reach.“Madam Anju told me, ‘It’s nothing. You have broken the record, but now you have to keep doing it consistently and win medals at the World Championships and the Olympics. This is a world-class jump and we are moving to the 7s soon,'” said a breathless Ancy.The 25-year-old, long the third best long jumper in the country behind Anju protégé Shaili Singh and Lakshadweep’s Mubassina Mohammed, will be chasing the 7m. She had thought of it for some time, but it requires a few technical adjustments.“I had some problems landing. My legs were getting the right position but my body wasn’t tracking right. Then I worked on my landing technique with the hang bar and other exercises and that helped me reach 6.75m,” she said.Progress must be gradual. And smart.“If I suddenly try hard at 7m, it could affect my jump. Right now we are focusing on increasing my consistency,” said the Asian Games silver medalist, “6.70m should become my minimum level. It will happen. I am much more confident now.”Ancy’s record leap is testament to the fact that while sporting talent can emerge from anywhere, it usually comes from India’s humble background. And as in Ancy’s case, she can even be cared for by two autorickshaw drivers who once had similar dreams.