Indian Athletics witnessed a historic day at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar as two long-standing national records were broken. Kerala’s Ancy Sojan put in a stellar performance in the women’s long jump event, breaking the record held by one of India’s greatest athletes Anju Bobby George for more than two decades.The 25-year-old Ansi set a new national record with a jump of 6.88 meters, breaking Anju Bobby George’s record of 6.83 meters set during the 2004 Athens Olympics. Her achievement marks a major milestone for Indian athletics and marks a new benchmark for the event.Anthy’s record-breaking effort was the highlight of the day at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, where the National Inter-State Championship will be held from June 24 to 28. The Kerala athlete’s long jump ended Anju Bobby George’s 22-year reign as the national record holder in women’s long jump.The performance also bolsters Anthy’s credibility as one of India’s leading track and field athletes ahead of the upcoming international competitions.The championships also saw another national record broken in the men’s high jump. Savish Kusare He set a new national record with 2.31 meters, surpassing Tejaswin Shankar’s previous record of 2.29 meters.Several athletes have also qualified for the upcoming Asian Games through their performances in Bhubaneswar. These include pole vaulter Dev Meena, women’s 100m hurdler Jyothi Yarraji, hammer thrower Anushka Yadav and middle-distance runner Mohammed Afsal.
