Top five longest leaps by Indian women in long jump
M Sudharshan
Shaili Singh jumped to second spot in this exclusive Indian list with a terrific jump at the 2023 Indian Grand Prix 4 Athletics meet.
Shaili Singh recorded the second-best jump after Anju Bobby George in all-time India records to win the women’s long jump gold at the Indian Grand Prix 4 Athletics event in Bengaluru. Anju, bronze medallist at the 2003 World Championships, holds the national record (6.83m) in the long jump, which she created at the Athens Olympics in 2004.
India has been making steady progress in horizontal jumps (both men’s and women’s) for the past few years. Shaili Singh from Uttar Pradesh has taken the mantle in the women’s section and after an injury driven 2022 season, she is back with a bang.
In this article let us discuss the top five longest jumps in women’s long jump from India.
5. Mayookha Johny (6.64m)
With a 6.64m jump at New Delhi in 2010, Mayookha Johny is fifth in the all-time India list for longest jumps in women’s long jump. Hailing from Kerala, Johny specialized in triple jump and long jump and had good success. Mayookha holds the Indian National record in triple jump with a mark of 14.11m.
She was also the first Indian woman to cross the 14m mark in triple jump when she achieved the feat at the Asian Athletics Grand Prix to take home the bronze medal. Her major achievement is winning two gold medals (Long Jump and Triple Jump) at the South Asian Games 2016, Guwahati. She finished a credible seventh in the 2010 Asian Games (Long Jump) held in China.
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4. JJ Shobha and Varakil Neena (6.66m)
Javur Jagadeeshappa Shobha and Varakil Neena jointly hold the fourth spot clocking 6.66m. The latter achieved her personal best mark at an event held in Bangalore in 2016. Her major achievement came in 2018 when she won the silver medal (6.51m) at the Jakarta Asian Games.
JJ Shobha achieved her personal best mark at the Chennai National circuit meet in 2004. Apart from being a long jumper, she is best known for her heroics at the Athens Olympics. Shobha completed the heptathlon event despite being injured in the penultimate event (Javelin throw).
She had to be carried off the field but returned soon with a tightly strapped left ankle and finished third in the final event (800m) – finishing eleventh overall with 6172 points. The Keralite holds the national record in heptathlon (6211 points).
3. Aishwarya Babu (6.73m)
Aishwarya Babu entered the record books with an effort of 6.73m at the National Inter States Athletics Meet in 2022. She created a national record and became the second athlete to breach the 14m in Triple Jump after Mayookha Johny clocked 14.14m. However, the Karnataka athlete tested positive immediately after the event and is currently under suspension.
2. Shaili Singh (6.76m)
U-20 World Championships 2020 silver medallist, Shaili Singh jumped 6.76m at Indian Grand Prix 4 athletics meet to enter the record books. Her effort is just 0.07m behind her mentor Anju Bobby George, who holds the record for the longest jump in the all-time Indian women’s long jump history.
This was a remarkable comeback for Shaili Singh, who struggled with injuries after winning the silver medal in 2021 and found it hard to make a comeback in the following year. She started the 2023 season participating at the Asian Indoor Championships. At the 2023 Indian Grand Prix 4, she jumped 6.76m to set a new Personal Best and also breached the Asian Games 2022 qualifying mark set by AFI.
However, Shaili fell short of meeting the World Championships qualification mark. The qualification mark for World Athletic Championships is 6.85m and to achieve it Shaili would have to break the national record in the upcoming tournaments (Federation Cup and National Inter states athletics meet).
1. Anju Bobby George (6.83m)
Anju Bobby George created a national record (6.83) at the Athens Olympics in 2004 and stood fifth in the overall rankings. The Keralite made history when she won the bronze medal in Long Jump at the World Championships in 2003, Paris. With this achievement, she became the first Indian athlete ever to win a medal in a World Championships jumping 6.70m. Anju’s PB in Triple Jump stands at 13.67m, created in 2002.
Notable Inclusion
M Prajusha, Nayana James and Ancy Sojan (6.55m)
23-year-old Ancy Sojan has been making good progress in Long Jump for the past few seasons. She created a personal best mark of 6.55m at the Indian Grand Prix in 2022 with a headwind reading -0.5m/s. The youngster has crossed the 6.50m mark twice and has good potential to jump further.
Nayana James stood second with a jump of 6.53m at the Indian Grand Prix 4 2023 in Bengaluru. Nayana along with Shaili Singh breached the Asian Games qualifying mark set at 6.45m. The 27-year-old has been in the national setup for more than a decade. She secured her personal best mark at the 21st Federation Cup National Senior Athletics Championships in 2017.
Prajusha became only the fourth Indian woman to cross the 6.50m mark and also created a national record in triple jump jumping at 13.72m at the Commonwealth Games in 2010.
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