Ancy Sojan seeks consistency ahead of big events

Ancy Sojan makes a fashion statement every time she steps on the track. The long jumper turns heads with an eclectic mix of goggles, braided hair, signature headbands and matching eyelashes. Her exuberant pre-jump ritual gets the crowd behind her.

And when it is competition time, she more often than not delivers good performances, like the one at the Federation Cup meet in Ranchi last month. She achieved her personal best of 6.75 metres, the third-best effort by an Indian, behind Anju Bobby George’s 6.83m and Shaili Singh’s 6.76m. But the 25-year-old from Thrissur is not satiated and is pushing herself to touch the gold standard of seven metres.

“I had a few health issues last season, and it is sort of a comeback for me. I am happy that I achieved my personal best in Ranchi. But I am looking for consistency. I definitely want to improve on the silver medal I won in the last Asian Games.

“Medals in major events depend on many factors. I believe in giving my best shot, focusing on things I can control, working hard and trusting the process. I am not worried about the results,’’ Ancy said on the sidelines of the recent Tony Daniel State meet in Kollam.

Ancy, who started her season with 6.54m at Indian Open 1 in April, has gradually improved as the year has progressed. Though she hit 6.75m in Ranchi, she fell short of her goal — the Commonwealth Games qualification mark of 6.84m — leaving her a tad disappointed.

But Ancy’s coach Anoop Joseph is confident that his ward can achieve it if things fall in place at the 65th National Inter-State meet in Bhubaneswar later this month.

“She is jumping with confidence and rhythm, and I won’t be surprised if she jumps beyond 6.80m soon. Yes, breaching seven metres is our ultimate dream. We have been working on improving her speed. She is now running in faster and she maintains the momentum when she approaches the take-off board. She is improving with every competition,’’ said Anoop.