Shaili Singh, India’s rising star in women’s long jump, has been consistently ranked among the top three in the country. However, her struggles to surpass her personal best of 6.59m, set at the 2019 World Under-20 Championships, have raised concerns.
At the recent Indian Grand Prix 1, Singh jumped 6.52m to secure the top spot. While this performance is commendable, it falls short of the Paris Olympics qualification mark of 6.86m. No Indian woman has ever achieved this distance.
Singh’s mentors, Anju Bobby George and Robert Bobby George, remain confident in her abilities. They believe she has the potential to not only qualify for her maiden Olympics but also consistently jump in the range of 6.80m.
“Qualifying by entry standard will be superb, but we are targeting the rankings route,” said Robert.
Anju believes Singh can come close to 6.86m during the qualification period. “All she needs are some minor technical adjustments. These things take time to become muscle memory, but Shaili can certainly break my national record,” she said.
Anju’s national record of 6.83m has stood for 20 years, while Singh’s best is 6.76m.
“I would back her among the current crop to break my record. If she does it at the Olympics, that’ll be a wonderful story,” Anju added.
Singh’s journey to the Paris Olympics will be a learning curve. India will also hope for strong performances from Hangzhou Asian Games silver medalist Ancy Sojan (PB 6.63) and Nayana James (PB 6.67m).
Robert is ambitious about Singh’s potential. “Our target is a top-eight finish, and even that will take a few perfect jumps from her,” he said.
To achieve this, Singh must consistently jump over 6.80m, which means 6.70m-plus jumps in training. “Usually, there’s a 10cm increment from training to competitions because we give 3-4 days of recovery time before the events. As of now, she jumps 6-60-6.65m in training.”
Robert and Anju have identified key technical areas to work on, including adjusting her center of mass before take-off and improving her hip extension.
Singh has faced challenges with injuries and illness. A lower-back injury sidelined her for nine months in 2022, and she took three months to recover from Covid-19 last year. A disappointing fifth-place finish at the Asian Games, where a bad landing led to a shoulder injury, further hindered her progress.
Despite these setbacks, Singh remains determined to achieve her Olympic dream. With the support of her mentors and her own unwavering spirit, she has the potential to make history for Indian athletics.
