Anju Bobby George wins ‘Woman of the Year’ Award

• Legendary Indian Athlete Anju Bobby George was recently conferred with the title ‘Woman of the Year’ Award by World Athletics for her extraordinary contributions for grooming talent in India and for advocating gender equality in the country during her time as the Senior Vice President of the Indian Athletics Federation.
• A former long jump star from India, Anju Bobby George has represented India on the world stage on various occasions and showcased her talent by winning several medals.
• She was presented with the prestigious award in the world body’s annual awards night which was held virtually on Wednesday, i.e 1st December 2021.

Professional Journey of Anju Bobby George

• Her professional career took off from 1996 when she won her first gold medal for India in the long jump in 2002 – the event at Asian Games in Busan.
• In 2003, Anju received the Arjuna Award, and a year later, the coveted Padma Shri.
• She was also awarded the Major Dhyan Chand Khel Ratna award in 2004.
• Anju received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the BBC earlier this year.
• She founded a training academy in 2016, where she began teaching young ladies for the highest level of competition.
• In the Under-20 division, her academy has already produced a world silver medalist in the form of 17-year-old Shaili Singh.

Reason for award to Anju Bobby George

• It was a recognition of the work that the former international long jumper has done with her husband and coach Robert George in nurturing sports at the grassroots.
• Their academy in Bengaluru, which the duo started in 2016, currently has 13 trainees, all girls from financially strained backgrounds from across the country.
• The academy not only takes care of their training but also education.