Mihir Vasavda at Asian Games: Ancy Sojan evokes Dhoni-isms after winning silver, pipping favorite Shaili | Asian-games News
After the heavier stuff came the fun bit.Ancy Sojan tapped her feet and caressed her braids, joked about the days she was ‘fatty’ and described the grind to ‘look like an athlete’ again. She evoked Dhoni-isms, paraphrasing the former cricket captain’s ‘control the controllables’ mantra in which she sought solace during her lowest phases.
And the end of it all, all she wanted was to slurp an ice cream and bust some moves to Vijay’s upbeat and energetic number Na Ready. Loosely translated, the song’s essence is, ‘I am ready, are you ready for me?’
An apt choice on the night she sprang a statement-making performance.
Needing a big leap in her last two attempts to consolidate her hold on the second spot, the 22-year-old from Thrissur launched strongly from the takeoff board and landed at a dance of 6.63m on her penultimate jump.
It wasn’t enough to overtake China’s Xiong Shiqi, who won the gold medal with a jump of 6.73m, but the personal best mark ensured a silver medal for the chirpy athlete who first consoled her teammate – and pre-tournament favourite Shaili Singh – before breaking into her own celebrations.
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Shaili finished fourth after managing a best jump of 6.48m, way below her personal best of 6.76m which, had she equalled at the very least, could have fetched her the gold medal.
Instead, the 19-year-old athlete was reduced to tears, wondering where it all went south. The jumper, tipped to surpass World Championship medall Anju Bob George’s long-standing national record, made all six attempts legally but could not get the desired elevation from the board; neither the height on the jump nor the lift-off that could carry her further.
“I tried my best, but I wasn’t feeling that energy from within,” she said, breaking down.
Ancy, who has spent the last few years in Shaili’s shadows, walked up to her immediately after the event was over, put an arm around her shoulders and tried to console her younger teammate.
“She was very disappointed,” Ancy said. “I told her, ‘just be calm’; told her she has a bright future.”
Hangzhou: India’s Ancy Sojan Edappilly competes in the womens long jump final event at the 19th Asian Games, in Hangzhou, China, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. (PTI)
Ancy’s was one of three silver medals India won in track and field after Parul Chaudhary opened the account in the 3,000m steeplechase. Chaudhary clocked 9 minutes, 27.63 seconds to finish the race nearly 10 seconds behind Bahrain’s Mutile Yavi.
The India-Bahrain duel continued on the track in the 4x400m mixed team relay but with a massive tw towards the end.
Muhammed Ajmal Variyathodi gave India a strong start. Going head-to-head with Bahrain’s Musa Ali Musa Isah, Variyathodi stayed close to him for the first 200m before starting to close down and ultimately overtook him on the bend. The Indian finished the first leg with a timing of 43.14 seconds, 0.16 ahead of the Bahraini, who was pushed to the second spot.
Vithya Ramraj, who had earlier in the day equalled PT Usha’s 39-year-old 400m hurdles record of 55.42 seconds, was occupied in ensuring Sri Lanka’s Nadeesha Ramanayaka did not get past her but in the process, conceded India’s lead to Bahrain after Mujidat Adekoya ran a strong final stretch.
The trend continued in the third leg as well, with Sri Lanka’s Kalinga Kumarage pushing Rajesh Ramesh for the second spot, and Bahrain’s Yusuf Abbas Ali extending the gap in front.
Hangzhou: India’s Subha Venkatesan and Rajesh Ramesh during the 4×400 Relay Mixed final event at the 19th Asian Games, in Hangzhou, China, Monday, Oct. 2, 2023. (PTI)
In the anchor leg, Salwa Eid Naser was in a league of her own as Subha Venkatesan conceded second place to Sri Lanka’s Tharushi Dissanayaka at the finish line.
India finished the race with a time of 3 minutes, 14.34 seconds. But for a second consecutive day, India’s bronze medal was upgraded to silver – this time, after the Sri Lankan team was adjudged to have committed a lane infringement on the left side of the bend.
“Honestly, part of me is a little bit unhappy because we focused on gold, we made some makes and that’s why we got silver,” Subha said. “(But) We are so happy, this is a national record. Definitely, we will qualify for the Olympics.”
The Olympics were on Ancy’s mind as well.
After losing several medals close margins, the long jumper revelled in the afterglow of the silver medal. “Sure, I can do better but with the silver medal and a personal best, I’m very happy,” she said.
Her upbeat mood on Monday was in sharp contrast to the bitter disappointment of finishing fourth at the Asian Championship earlier this year, where she ‘spent one week feeling sad’.Most Read
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It didn’t help that she’d gained weight and fitness became an issue. “After the ATF (Asian Track and Field Championship), I put on weight. I became 59 kg (now 55kg) because of menstrual problems. I course-corrected myself in three weeks. Reduced carbs, stopped eating sweets… I am now back in good shape.”
In those times of despair, she looked at Dhoni for inspiration, hanging on to the words uttered the former captain multiple times in his career. “Dhoni once said that whatever you are training, ensure you put that into your performance. You just concentrate on what you can do,” she said.
With that in mind, she entered Monday’s competition not obsessed with the results, but just focussing on her process. “Everyone is thinking and worried about the result. As Dhoni said, you just concentrate on what you can do. I just focused on a good run and a good takeoff.”
And she landed on the podium.
