Anju Bobby George, arguably the best track and field athlete to emerge from Kerala, has made a thought-provoking statement on the status of sports education in her home state.

"The emphasis that Kerala places on sports is gradually diminishing while other states are advancing in this area," Anju said at Manorama Hortus in Kozhikode.

The iconic long jumper, who runs the 'Anju Bobby Sports Foundation' in Bengaluru, has urged the stakeholders in Kerala to upgrade in accordance with time. "We need to cultivate the understanding that sports is a science. More research and focus are needed in this field."

Anju reminisced about her school days when she trained under Dronacharya awardee K P Thomas (Thomas Mash) at the Koruthodu School. She also recollected her training stint under men's World record holder Mike Powell. "Their training methods were vastly different,"

Anju's finest performances came under the guidance of her husband, Robert Bobby George. Her national record of 6.83m has stood unrivalled for 20 years. She is the Vice President of the Athletics Federation of India.

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