Ancy Sojan Edappilly may have broken one of Indian athletics’ longest-standing national records this year, but the 6.88m leap has only brought her closer to the mark she has been chasing all along – seven metres.
The Indian long jumper surpassed Anju Bobby George’s 22-year-old national record of 6.83m earlier this year. Ancy, however, revealed that breaking the record was never her primary target.
“I never targeted the record. I always targeted seven metres,” Ancy told Olympics.com.
Anju, the first Indian athlete to win a World Championships medal, had been someone Ancy Sojan looked up to growing up. Surpassing her mark was a proud moment, but the 25-year-old has long viewed seven metres as the bigger milestone.
“I want to do something extraordinary or something different,” Ancy said. “Everybody says they want an Olympic medal or a World Championship medal. I want more than a medal… Nobody has reached the seven-metre mark. I am aiming to be the first woman to cross the seven-metre mark in India.”
With her national record, Ancy is now just 12cm away.
She believes her performances this season have also given her a clearer understanding of what she needs to improve to bridge that gap.
Ancy identified her runway speed and the strength required to generate a better take-off among the areas she needs to work on as she attempts to peak for the biggest competitions.
“It is achievable, but not easily. I need to push harder again and again,” she said. “I know what kind of runway can help me reach there.”
Ancy’s progress has coincided with increasing competition within Indian women’s long jump.
When she first entered the senior ranks, Nayana James was among the established names. More recently, Shaili Singh has emerged as Ancy’s closest domestic competitor, having jumped 6.76m as an 18-year-old in 2023.
Ancy credits Shaili’s performances with pushing her own standards higher.
“When she performed, I started pushing and I got my personal best the same year,” Ancy said.
“If she is there, I feel better. If I am there, she feels better. It will help us take our long jumpers’ performance range to a world-class level.”
The depth is growing further, with youngster Mubassina Mohammed having also crossed the 6.50m mark.
Ancy believes breaking new barriers can have a knock-on effect on the athletes coming through behind her.
“Once a person hits that (7m) mark, everybody gets the courage and spirit that they can also do the same,” she said.
For Ancy, the next opportunity to push those boundaries will come at the Asian Games 2026 in Aichi-Nagoya.
Having won the silver medal in the long jump at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, she is determined to go one better this time.
“This time I really want to win a gold medal,” Ancy said. “I want to be on that podium with the gold medal, hearing the national anthem and seeing our flag rising. I want to get some tears from my eyes after hearing that.”
Ancy also credited the Reliance Foundation, where she trains, for providing the support system behind her progress.
“Reliance Foundation is like a home away from home,” she said. “I’m in better shape than I was last season.”
And while seven metres remains the longer-term obsession, Ancy is clear about what would make Aichi-Nagoya special.
“Either seven metres or a gold medal – this is what I want.”
read more: https://www.olympics.com/en/news/ancy-sojan-long-jump-seven-metres-asian-games-2026
