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In Shaili, Robert and Anju trust
Trained by India’s long jump couple, the world No.1 in the under-18 category broke an under-20 national record
Shaili Singh being the world No.1 long-jumper in the under-18 category has given coach Robert Bobby George hope, the kind of which he hasn’t had in 13 years since wife Anju Bobby George retired.
Shaili, a 17-year-old from Jhansi, became the world’s foremost long-jumper in her age category after breaking the under-20 national record with a leap of 6.38m at the Senior Inter-State Championship at Patiala this week. She bettered it to 6.48m in her final attempt. This was after erasing a 21-year-old youth national record with an effort 6.19m.
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The real test for the 17-year-old jumper will be the under-20 world championship in August in Nairobi but the Georges are hopeful.
“She (Shaili) is an amazing athlete and can do it at Nairobi. We both wanted to win an Olympic medal in the long jump but that remained a dream. But with Shaili, we can hope of an Olympic medal in future,” said Robert, who coached Anju to India’s lone senior athletics world medal in 2003. Anju finished fifth in the 2004 Athens Games; her best of 6.83m is a national record.
“I felt that spark in her when I saw her the first time at a junior competition,” said Robert. That was in 2017 and he got Shaili to his academy in Bengaluru where he has 13 other trainees.
Anju, who watched Shaili’s record-breaking feat in Patiala, said it gave her a sense of deja vu. “It reminded me of my early days in the sport. I am sure that in three-four years she will overtake me,” said Anju, the 2002 Asian Games gold medallist, on Wednesday.
“She has the advantage of being trained at an early age. Even I started training with Robert at the age of 20-21. I started performing from the second year of my training.”
“I feel that after a gap of 13 years, I am working with a national champion again. She has incredible speed and a great spirit. I haven’t seen anyone as talented as her on the Indian circuit in the last 25 years,” said Robert.
Grooming a potential champion is not only a lot of work but needs a lot of money as well. Robert said he is hoping he will get financial backing for his academy. “Even for laying of the track and other minimum facilities, you need ₹5 crore or so. At the same time, trainees need many more things like multi-gym, and other training facilities.”
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Before shifting to Bengaluru, Shaili stayed in a hostel in Lukcnow as part of an Uttar Pradesh government’s athletics programme. Shaili’s mother Savita is single and worked as a tailor in a village called Paricha almost 28 km from Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh. Shaili would run barefoot at school and win competitions.
“It was difficult to manage even a pair of spikes but I wanted to beat the boys in school,” said Shaili.
“My mom was very happy when I broke the national record at Patiala. Whatever I am today, it’s because of the hard work and support of the Georges,” said Shaili who is now supported by Olympic Gold Quest, a not-for-profit foundation, and the Sports Authority of India.
