Happy Birthday to the Amazing Athlete Anju Bobby George

Anju Bobby George is a retired Indian athlete who competes in the long jump category. She has won several medals for India. Let us wish her a very Happy Birthday.

Anju Bobby George was born on 19 April 1977 in Kottayam, Kerala. She was initiated into athletics by her father and her interest was further developed by her trainer at Koruthode school. Anju’s talent was noticed in the national school’s games where she won third place in 100 m hurdles and 4 × 100 m relay.

She won the bronze medal clearing 6.49 m at the 2002 Commonwealth Games at Manchester. She also won the gold medal at the Asian Games. Anju made history when she won the bronze medal clearing 6.70 m in Long Jump at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris, becoming the first Indian athlete ever to win a medal in a World Championships in Athletics. She also won a gold medal at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games. She achieved her personal best of 6.83 m at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens which brought her the fifth position. This is the current Indian national record.

In September 2005, Anju won the gold medal in the women’s long jump at the 16th Asian Athletics Championship. She went on to win the gold medal at the IAAF World Athletics Final in 2005. She won a silver medal in the women’s long jump at the 15th Asian Games, in 2006. In 2007, Anju won a silver medal in the 17th Asian Athletics Championship. Anju started her 2008 season with a silver medal in the 3rd Asian Indoor Championship in athletics and she won gold in the 3rd South Asian Athletics Championship.

She contested at the 2004 Athens Olympics but remained in 5th position with her personal best score of 6.83. She also contested at the 2008 Beijing Olympics but failed to qualify for the women’s long jump event.

She is currently the Chairperson of TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) and is also the Executive Member of the Khelo India project instituted by the Government of India. She also holds the appointment of senior vice president of the Athletics Federation of India.

Anju received the Arjuna Award in 2002–2003 for eminent sportspersons from the government of India and the country’s highest sporting honor, the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award in 2003–2004 after her success in the World Athletic Meet. She was conferred Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award in 2004. In 2021 she got the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award. 

–Staff Reporter