Who is Ancy Sojan? Kerala jumper who broke Anju Bobby’s 22-year-old record | Other Sports News

Indian athletics witnessed the end of one of its longest-standing records after Kerala’s Ancy Sojan produced a remarkable leap of 6.88m at the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar on Saturday. The effort eclipsed Anju Bobby George’s national record of 6.83m, which had remained unbeaten since the 2004 Athens Olympics.

Besides rewriting the record books, the jump also secured Ancy the Athletics Federation of India’s qualification mark for the 2026 Asian Games. The performance marks another significant milestone in the 25-year-old’s rapid rise and places her among the continent’s leading long jumpers ahead of a crucial international season.

Check the full video of Ancy’s record jump here:

International medals and steady rise

The Kerala athlete has continued to deliver consistent performances at major continental events. She added another silver medal at the 2025 Asian Athletics Championships before claiming bronze at the 2026 Asian Indoor Athletics Championships.

Earlier this season, Ancy improved her personal best to 6.75m at the National Federation Cup, signalling that she was closing in on the national record. She bettered that mark by 13 centimetres in Bhubaneswar, producing the best jump of her career when it mattered most.

Record-breaking jump in Bhubaneswar

Ancy opened the competition strongly with a jump of 6.73m before producing the decisive 6.88m effort on her fifth attempt. She concluded the event with a final jump of 6.69m to comfortably secure the title.

Her winning mark not only erased Anju Bobby George’s 22-year-old national record but also ranks among the finest performances by an Asian woman in the event. The jump makes Ancy only the second Asian athlete in the last two decades to cross the 6.85m mark and places her eighth on the continent’s all-time list.

Eyes on bigger targets

Speaking after her historic achievement, Ancy said the performance reflected India’s growing standards in the long jump and credited years of hard work for her progress. She also reiterated her ambition to win the gold medal at the Asian Games.

With the national record now in her name and qualification for the Asian Games secured, Ancy heads into the remainder of the season as one of India’s leading hopes in women’s long jump and a key athlete to watch at upcoming international competitions.