This could be our best ever World Championship,” says Anju George

Javelin thrower Neeraj Chopra’s Olympic gold in Tokyo seems to have inspired everyone. Anju Bobby George believes the World Athletics Championships, which begin in Oregon (USA) on Friday, will be the best for India.

“If you look at the performance figures this year, for the first time we have multiple medal hopes,” Anju, the country’s only World Championship medalist, said in a chat with them. The Hindu Thursday evening.

“I think Neeraj will win the gold and he has the potential to go beyond 90m. Being an Olympic champion puts pressure on him but I think he can handle it beautifully.

M. Sreesankar’s performances this year, including this effort at the 61st National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championship at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Chennai on June 11, 2022, have given him a bright chance in Eugene. | Photo Credit: VELANKANNI RAJ

“And when you look at the performances at worlds this year, (long jumper) Srishankar also has a bright chance.”

Anju, who won the long jump bronze at the 2003 Paris Worlds, feels it has been a strange year in athletics with many of the world’s best in events like the long jump slipping in recent competitions.

A strange year

“We didn’t have such a scenario earlier, which is strange. Maybe, they didn’t have enough competition or maybe they couldn’t train properly because of COVID,” said Anju, senior vice-president of the Athletics Federation of India.

“That is why it is difficult to make predictions this time. Also when it comes to Worlds we can say only after the qualifying round. Any big jumper can crash in the first round, once they are easy to predict.

India has three men for the first time in long jump and triple jump and Anju hopes that two long jumpers can make it to the final.

“In triple jump, the competitions are smaller and they don’t have big-meet exposure like international grand prix, so we can’t analyze the situation properly.”

Avinash Sable clears the final hurdle to set a new national record in the men’s 3000m steeplechase event in the second leg of the India Grand Prix at Thiruvananthapuram on 23/03/2022. | Photo Credit: MAHINSHA S

Tough for Sable

As for Avinash Sable, she feels that the 3000m steeplechase is very difficult.

“Sable is in very good shape, but his event is very tough. However, when the going is tough, he performs better. I think he has a good chance of getting into the top six. And Annu Rani (javelin throw) can get into the top eight.”

“In previous years, we expected only one or two athletes to make it to the final, but this time five or six could make it,” Anju said.