Nagoya: India’s Ancy Sojan opened up about her humble beginnings and the sacrifices made by her father, an auto driver, after winning the women’s long jump silver medal at the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 here on Sunday.
Ancy produced a 6.53m effort to stay in contention for gold before China’s Huang Yingying came up with a 6.55m final jump to pip the Indian by two centimetres. The silver marked Ancy’s first international medal after a long wait.
Recalling her journey, Ancy said she started training barefoot, and her father faced questions from people about early morning training and whether she would be able to make a career in athletics.
“In the beginning we had nothing. I started barefoot, and the people will ask why you are sending your daughter to that guy in the early morning. Is it safe or something, and she is not going to reach anywhere,” Ancy told IANS after her silver-medal-winning performance.
“Today the people, they can’t imagine where I am standing, but that is my hard work and my father’s dedication too. He supported me like a back pillar when I was injured and all. In the beginning I never thought I would reach this level, like making India proud.”
Ancy said the silver was the result of the faith placed in her by her family and those who supported her throughout her journey.
“We waited long, and after 10 years I got the first international medal. That is like a great trust I can give them back, like I am winning. They also trusted me,” she said.
The 26-year-old also admitted that she had hoped to win gold but was satisfied with the silver medal, particularly given the challenging conditions in Nagoya.
“They expected the same like me, like a gold medal, but it’s not bad in this weather because the people who are sitting outside and seeing it are not easy like that. While we come to the ground, it is very difficult. I put in my 100% effort, but I will settle with silver,” she said.
Ancy said she had dedicated the medal to herself after a season of hard work and sacrifice, while also acknowledging the contribution of her coach and father.
“Yes, I worked very hard, and I dedicated all the good performances to my coach and my father. I told my soul to reach the 7 metres, but a lot more competition has come,” she said.
“So it is not the end, but this is the end of my season this year. That’s why I am dedicating myself more, my hard work and sacrifice.”
The medal caps a breakthrough season for Ancy, who had produced a national record of 6.88m at the World Athletics Continental Tour event in Bhubaneswar earlier this year.
Ancy also called for greater support for athletics, saying more international exposure could help Indian athletes improve their medal chances.
“If they can support us, athletics also, consider athletics also, we will get more and more opportunity and more medals. If we go outside competitions also, that will help us to get a great experience and more medal chances at global levels,” she said.
(IANS)
