Legendary Indian long jumper Anju Bobby George has been bestowed with the Woman of the Year Award by World Athletics for grooming talent in the country and advocating gender equality.
The 44-year-old Anju, the only Indian to have won a medal in the World Championships with a long jump bronze in the 2003 edition, was named for the award in the world body’s annual awards night held virtually on Wednesday.
The award is given to recognise a woman who has dedicated her life to the sport of athletics. Anju is the second recipient of the prestigious award, which was started in 2019, after Ethiopia’s Derartu Tulu.
Tulu is the first black African woman to become an Olympic champion, with 10,000m gold medals in 1992 Barcelona and 2000 Sydney Games. No woman was named for the award in 2020.
From 2014 to 2018, a similar honour called ‘Women in Athletics Award’, which recognised outstanding achievements and contributions made to develop, encouraged and strengthened the participation of women and girls at all levels of the sport, was given. “The former international long jump star from India is still actively involved in the sport. In 2016 she opened a training academy for young girls, which has already helped to produce a world U20 medallist,” World Athletics said in a release.
“A constant voice for gender equality in her role as Senior Vice President of the Indian Athletics Federation, Bobby George also mentors schoolgirls for future leadership positions within the sport.”
One of India’s most illustrious track and field athletes, Anju said she was “truly humbled and honoured to be awarded Woman of the Year by World Athletics”.
“There is no better feeling than to wake up everyday and give back to the sport, allowing it to enable and empower young girls! Thank you for recognising my efforts,” she tweeted.
World Athletics added that her efforts in advancing the sport in India as well as inspiring more women to follow in her footsteps make her “more than a worthy recipient” of this year’s award.
“I am really, really happy to learn that this year’s Woman of the Year Award is considering my name. As an athlete it was a hard journey but I still believe I could reach the level which I deserve. And now it’s my turn to give back to our sport,” Anju said in a video uploaded on Twitter by World Athletics.