The Grand old man salutes new champ

The legendary Milkha Singh has saluted Anju Bobby George on becoming the first Indian athlete to win a medal at the World Championship. The ‘Flying Sikh’ received the news at 2.00 in the morning and said that he could not control his excitement. ‘‘I couldn’t sleep; it was flashback time for me,’’ said the 73-year-old Milkha.

Usha, Shiny hail Anju’s feat

CHENNAI: Legendary Indian ‘sprint queen’ P T Usha and famous middle distance runner Shiny Wilson hailed Anju B George for winning a bronze medal in the World Athletics Championship in Paris, saying her aim of an Olympic medal was well within her reach. “It is a good tiding for Indian athletics and Anju’s achievement should be written in letters of gold,” they said. “She has been working hard for the last two to three years and it has paid the dividends. I am sure that a medal is in her grab in the Athens Olympic Games,” Usha said from Payyoli in Badagara district in Kerala. Usha said had Anju been a little more serious when she was a junior player, she could have achieved such feats much earlier. Story continues below this ad Shiny attributed Anju’s success to her association with husband and coach Bobby George. “People always credit the wife for husband’s success. But in Anju’s case, it is a turn around.”

‘‘I felt so proud of Anju. She did something which no Indian athlete could do since 1947. All those golden moments in the history of Indian athletics unfolded before my eyes but none could match the feat that this girl has achieved yesterday,’’ he told The Indian Express today.

The first thing Milkha said he did in the morning was to send a wire message to Anju’s home at Changanassery in Kottayam district of Kerala, congratulating Anju’s parents.

Incidentally, just a day before Anju’s historic performance, she was given the Arjuna award. Now, the government should honour Anju with the Padma Shri, said Milkha.

The long jumper is the only Indian athlete to win at the World Championship. Only four Indian athletes have reached Olympic finals till now: Milkha (finished fourth in Rome Olympics, 1960), Gurbachan Singh Randhawa (fifth position in Tokyo Olympics, 1964), Sri Ram Singh (seventh in Montreal Olympics,1976) and P.T. Usha (fourth position in Los Angeles, 1984). ‘‘I bet if Anju continues to perform like this, she will be the fifth one, next year at Athens.’’

The veteran athlete suggested that Anju should continue to train abroad till the Olympics and he said it was the duty of the athletic federation (AAFI) and the government to support the long jumper. ‘‘Anju should be allowed to train under Mike Powell till next year and she should participate in as many international competitions in Europe as possible. It will give tremendous boost to her confidence,’’ Milkha said.