RANCHI: All Ancy Sojan wanted coming into the long jump event at the National Senior Athletics Federation Competition was to be cautious and avoid foul jumps. She not only did that but also bettered her personal best and the meet record, leaping 6.75m to win gold at Birsa Munda Stadium, Morabadi, here on Friday.It wouldn’t have been possible without her determination to push herself, especially as she has been dealing with a hormonal issue that made it difficult for her to lose weight. As a result, she even had to starve herself at times, and now all her sacrifices have finally paid off.Speaking about it, the Asian Games silver medallist said, “I was struggling with hormonal issues, and it’s been very hard for me to lose weight. I had to be very disciplined with my diet and training. I knew that if I wanted to perform well, I had to stay committed and follow what my coach was telling me.”“There were times when I felt very hungry, but I controlled myself and stuck to the plan. It was tough, but it worked. I’ve managed to lose fat and weight, and I can now see the difference in my performance,” Ancy, who has been training under coach Anoop Joseph, added.“I still remember those off-season days when I would literally be in tears after running. But deep down, all I wanted was to come back with a strong performance.”Ancy’s series on Friday read 6.47m, 6.56m, 6.69m, 6.75m, 6.68m and 6.57m, and she now believes she can go even farther, beyond the current national record of 6.83m held by Anju Bobby George.“I was aiming for the Commonwealth Games, but I fell short by 9cm. I believe it will come,” said Ancy, whose 2025 season was cut short because of an injury.Despite her failure to make the cut for the CWG, this has been a brilliant comeback after a below-par 2025, when her best was just 6.54m and her detractors began to question whether she had it in her to go farther. But she has proved them wrong, thanks largely to her fighting spirit.“The mental preparation was always there, but I want to overcome obstacles, to compete through them, whether it’s the wind, the weather or my own mind,” said the 25-year-old, who also got a message of encouragement from her good friend Moumita Modal ahead of the tournament.As for those who doubt her, she is focused on letting her performances do the talking.“I’ve heard a lot of people saying, ‘she’s not going to come back’ or ‘this smaller athlete can beat her’. I’ve heard those rumours, but I’m okay with it. I’ll keep training hard, and I’ll show what I can do. I believe I’ve already shown that in the first competition,” she added.Hopefully, she can keep up this performance even in the coming tournaments and shine once again at the Asian Games, for which she has already qualified.
