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MEDAL WINNERS FROM INDIA
YB WEB DESK. Dated: 7/21/2021 12:46:24 PM
Anju Bobby Ge orge
Anju Bobby George (born 19 April 1977) is a retired Indian athlete. She is India's first and only World Champion in the IAAF World Athletics Final. Anju Bobby George made history when she won the bronze medal in long jump at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris. With this achievement, she became the first Indian athlete ever to win a medal in a World Championships in Athletics jumping 6.70 m. She went on to win the gold medal at the IAAF World Athletics Final (a competition between best eight athletes in the world based on the world ranking) in 2005, a performance she considers her best. Anju was upgraded to the gold status from silver in the 2005 World Athletics Final in Monte Carlo following the disqualification of Tatyana Kotova of Russia by the International Association of Athletics Federations, following the recent re-testing of the latter's sample collected at the 2005 World Championship in Helsinki. She was awarded the Arjuna Award in 2002, Khel Ratna in 2003 and Padma Shri in 2004.. She had got 5th position with personal best score of 6.83 at the 2004 Athens Olympics. In March 2021, Anju won the BBC lifetime achievement award for best athlete in India. Early life Anju was born in Kochuparambil family in Cheeranchira village of Changanassery taluk, Kottayam, Kerala, in a Syrian Orthodox family, to K. T. Markose. She was initiated into athletics by her father and her interest was further developed by her trainer in Koruthode school. She did her schooling in CKM Koruthode School and graduated from Vimala College. In the school athletic meet in 1991–92, she won the 100 m hurdles and relay and stood second in long jump and high jump events, thus becoming the women's champion. Anju's talent was noticed in the national schools games where she won third place in 100 m hurdles and 4 × 100 m relay. Professional career Although she started with Heptathlon, she later began to concentrate on her jump events and went on to win long jump medal in the 1996 Delhi junior Asian championship. In 1999 Anju.