KOCHI / BHUBANESWAR: When Ancy Sojan broke the world record of 22 in the women’s game on Saturday, it shook Nattika, a small fishing village in Kerala’s Thrissur district.Almost 2,000 km from the sand pit in Bhubaneswar where they landed with 6.88m, two local drivers are fulfilling their dream of playing like a Kerala legend. Anju Bobby George‘s long history disappeared in the sand. Anju’s 6.83m was set at the 2004 Athens Olympics.One was Ancy’s father, Sojan ET. The other, his childhood teacher Sanoj VV – “Kannan Mash” to all in Nattika.None of the men made it past the regional stage as runners, not settling as they were in the traffic jam that is the lack of opportunity in Indian sports. On Saturday, he achieved redemption through Ancy’s jump of 6.88m.“People laughed at me when I predicted in 2019 that Ancy will break Anju Bobby George’s record,” Ancy’s first coach told TOI, “He was not yet 18. See, today my prediction has come true.”Mr. Sojan, currently recovering from a minor injury he suffered last week or he would have been near his daughter, said, “I am living my dream through my daughter. I couldn’t move forward because we didn’t have the training equipment. But here she is…”
Ancy Sojan (Photo by TOI)
Ancy comes from a low-income Syrian Christian community in Nattika. Money was scarce, forcing Sanoj to pick up passengers in his car. Sanoj said: “We are not doing well financially, our income depends on how much I earn from driving my rickshaw, and it varies from day to day. Right now, I am recovering from an injury, so it has affected our income.”“These records are dedicated to my father,” said Ancy in Bhubaneswar, “He used to say that we didn’t have national records in the family. For him, this is a reward for all the faith he put in me and all the sacrifices he made over the years. This is my way of giving something back to him and making him proud.”The Sojans make up Jansy, 47, Ancy’s mother. Younger son Dominic, 24, is studying business management while younger, Anjali, 20, wants to follow in her sister’s footsteps as a long jumper.In short, Sanoj, like Sojan, was a gold medalist in the elite division, whose sporting ambitions ended before they began. “I am not a self-taught coach. I started my own school for athletes like Ancy, so I can pass on my experience to them,” revealed Sanoj.Sanoj first realized Andy’s potential as a teenager. “At the U-14 State School Games in 2015, Ancy jumped 4.93-m to win bronze. It was amazing considering that he was very young back then, only 13 years old,” he recalled.In 2019, Ancy made her mark in the sport, registering a jump of 6.26 meters at the National School Athletics Meet in Punjab’s Sangrur.Following Ancy’s jump in Bhubaneswar on Saturday, Sanoj realized what other long jumpers might have missed. “Until a year back, Ancy’s expansion had a problem. Not on Saturday. It was flawless,” he said.Sojan saw that her daughter was not able to do her best. “He is not 100% yet,” he said, “He needs to improve his jump and catch time. But I am proud of him for clearing the 22nd world record set by Anju. He can now break the 7-m mark,” he added.Sanoj agreed. “I believe he can cross the 7-meter barrier,” he said.Anju, the OG, knows it will happen. “I’m proud of her… I saw her jump and a smile on my face. Long jump has always been a Malayalee champion. Proud that a Keralite broke my record,” Anju said before leaving Bengaluru to meet the new star.Young Ancy also believes that 7-m can be reached.“Anju ma’am told me, ‘This is nothing. You broke the record, but now you have to continue to do it continuously and win medals at the World Championships and the Olympics. This is the best jump in the world, and soon we will go to 7-m, “said Ancy breathless.The 25-year-old, the third best jumper in the country behind Anju proteges Shaili Singh and Mubassina Mohammed of Lakshadweep, will be chasing the 7-m. It’s been on his mind for a long time, but this requires a few technical changes.“I had some problems with my climbing. My legs were getting to a good place, but my body wasn’t following well. After that, I worked on my climbing method using a hanger and other tools, and this helped me to reach 6.75m,” he said.Progress must be made gradually. And wise.“If I suddenly try too much for 7m, it will affect my jump. At the moment, we are focusing on improving my connection,” said the silver medalist of the Asian Games,” “6.70m should be my minimum. It will happen. I am very confident about this now.Ancy’s leap in history is a testament to the fact that although sporting talent comes from everywhere, it often comes from India. And as with Ancy, it can be traced back to two male athletes who once had the same dream.
