The Hindu : Sport : Anju wins silver medal in Monaco

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Sep 10, 2005

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Anju wins silver medal in Monaco

MONTE CARLO: Anju Bobby George has another world medal in her collection. On Friday, at the World Athletics Final here, she produced just one legal jump that proved good enough to fetch her the silver behind World No. 1 Tatyana Kotova of Russia.

Anju fouled her first two attempts and then came up with a season best 6.75m that also happened to be her second best legal jump ever, next to her Athens Olympics effort of 6.83 metres. The 28-year-old Indian also collected her biggest pay cheque of $20,000 in the grand finale of the season.

With the silver assured, to add to the 2003 World championship bronze, Anju went all out for the gold in the fourth and last round, aiming to better Kotova's 6.78, but fouled again. Kotova had a last round jump of 6.83 to close what turned out to be a below-par competition notwithstanding the presence of the top six women in the world.

World champion and the No. 4 ranked Tianna Madison of the U.S. did not start leaving the contest among six jumpers who figured in the top seven plus the joint 10th ranked Eunice Barber of France.

Kotova went into the lead in the first round itself, with her 6.78, but the others struggled. World No. 2 Irina Simagina of Russia, Olympic silver medallist, had three fouls on the trot and eventually finished last with a 6.47.

Olympic champion Tatyana Lebedeva, the million-dollar jackpot winner in the Golden League (triple jump), finished fifth with a 6.49, while American Grace Upshaw won the bronze with a 6.67 after opening with two fouls. Barber (6.51) was fourth and Russian Oksana Udmurtova (6.48) sixth.

A little disappointed at the Asian championships at Incheon, Korea, just five days ago, when she won the gold with a 6.65m, Anju had left for Monaco, determined to round off the season with another best. Anju had finished fourth (6.61m) in the World Athletics Final last year and fifth (6.50m) in 2003.

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