Bhubaneswar: Kerala long jumper Ancy Sojan smashed the 22-year-old national record previously held by the legendary Anju Bobby George, while high jumper Sarvesh Kushare also etched his name in the record books on a memorable day of Indian athletics during the National Inter-State Championships here on Saturday.
The 25-year-old Ancy leaped a stunning 6.88m in her fifth attempt to better the previous national record of 6.83m, which Anju set during the 2004 Athens Olympics. She also bettered the Asian Games qualifying mark of 6.48m set by the Athletics Federation of India (AFI). She also became the season leader among Asian athletes.
She was earlier second among Asian athletes this season with her 6.75m jump, which was her previous personal best. Just before Ancy’s feat, Maharashtra’s Sarvesh Kushare set a national record in the men’s high jump with a stunning effort of 2.31m. The championships have so far witnessed five national records.
Kushare, who became the first Indian to qualify for the men’s high jump final at the World Championships in Tokyo last year, cleared 2.31m, bettering the national record of 2.29m, which had been held by Tejaswin Shankar since 2018. Kushare went for 2.35m but could not clear it in two attempts.
His performance on Saturday took Kushare to joint third in the global season rankings and to the top spot among Asian athletes. He also became the first Indian high jumper to clear 2.30m. In the process, he bettered the Asian Games qualifying standard of 2.19m set by the Athletics Federation of India.
