Anju Bobby George fights for 2004 Olympics silver medal
- Anju Bobby George asks sports authorities to investigate the 2004 Olympics long jump event
- The top three winners, all Russians, have failed their drug test
- If she is successful, she will get a silver medal before the Tokyo Olympics
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One of the most recognisable faces in Indian sport is Anju Bobby George – a prolific track and field athlete.
In 2004, during the Athens Olympics, she was placed 5th along with her fellow athletes’ Australia’s Bronwyn Thompson in 4th, and Britain’s Jade Johnson 6th. However, the trio believe that they have been stripped of their medals that they rightly deserved, and have asked the sports authorities to investigate the matter.
The top three winners, all Russians, have failed the prerequisite drug tests.
The three also plan to take their case to the International Association of Athletics Federations and the International Olympic Committee, besides approaching their respective countries sports federation.
According to The Times of India report, “At the 2004 Games, Anju made the finals and broke the national long jump record with 6.83m, which still stands.”
If all goes well, Anju Bobby George could very well find herself with a silver Olympic medal before she moves on to the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Her husband firmly believes that the drug scandal in Russia runs deep, and that the trio have a solid case. He told TOI, “ It’s a conspiracy. More than 128 samples kept in Russian labs were spoiled after that. The Russian government is also involved in that. There are connections with the Russian mafia, Interpol has made arrests and it was found that money was involved through Singapore," whilst adding, "I believe there are people sitting in some corner of the world with solid evidence to prove that we have a clear case, and we are confident of getting some advantage. Once it comes to the international media's notice, someone sitting in Australia or England or maybe Russia itself will come forward, I feel."
