India will complete 75 years of Independence this year. Here is a series acknowledging 75 great sporting achievements by Indian athletes. Sports will present one iconic sporting achievement each day, leading up to August 15, 2022.
Bobby George’s bronze medal at the IAA World Championships in 2003
Bobby George made history when she won the bronze medal in long jump at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris. She became the first Indian athlete to win a medal in a World Champion in Athletics. What makes her even more remarkable is the recent revelation that she did it with just one kidney!
Bobby George creates history by becoming the first Indian medalist at the World Athletics Championship, taking the long jump bronze in Paris. (AP)
In a tweet, the ace athlete said: “Believe it or not, I’m one of the fortunate, among very few who reached the world top with a single KIDNEY, allergic with even a painkiller, with a dead takeoff leg still made it. Can we call, magic of a coach or his talent.”
READ: Bobby George: The revelation and after...
India's first medal, at the global level in athletics, Olympics included, was earned the hard way through a grind in US and Europe before the culmination in Paris.
Everyone knew was quite capable of pulling it off, but on her maiden Worlds, one was not sure what her temperament would be.
After having come through the qualifying rounds in sixth place with that day, was prepared to tackle in a better frame of mind with 6.61.
That was the kind of start that should have pushed her to reach beyond her best. And she did.
Her fourth round effort was a modest but in the next, a much more relaxed produced her season best, measuring As she landed, she looked up towards husband Bobby George, sitting in the stands with coach Mike Powell, shook her head and pumped her fist into the sand.
After Barber hit the front, held onto her third spot through the competition. Once she finished, with 6.62, after having fouled two in the opening round, had to wait for Britain's Jade Johnson to complete her last round. The Briton did 6.53. Her best, 6.63, fetched her the fourth place.
Since taking the silver at the SAF Games in Kathmandu in 1999 had climbed steadily. She qualified for the Olympics in 2000, but could not make it due to injury, but in 2002, she wrote a new chapter in her career as well as in Indian athletics by becoming the first Indian woman athlete to win a medal at the Commonwealth Games, a bronze. The gold at the Asian Games and was well on her way to stardom.
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2004 Olympic Games in Athens with a personal best leap of six was elevated to fifth place in 2007 when the United States of America’s Marion Jones was disqualified for a doping. She also won a gold medal at the IAA World Athletics Finals (Monaco, 2005). 75 years of independence, 75 iconic moments from Indian sports: No. 26 - Bobby George's historic bronze medal at the Athletics World Championships
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