Mayookha Johny breaks Anju Bobby George’s record in triple jump

PATIALA - Mayookha Johny set a national record in triple jump, leaping 13.68 metre, that erased Anju Bobby George’s mark of 13.67m set in 2002, on the second day of the National Interstate Senior Athletics Championship here Friday.

It was a remarkable performance considering that Kerala girl Mayookha was participating in this event after two years. She achieved the record on her third jump.

Mayookha, who came back this season after being out with an injury for more than a year, has been in remarkable form in long jump. She leapt a career-best 6.64m in the All Star Athletics Meet in Delhi last week, bettering her performance in the Asian Grand Prix in Bangalore (6.49m) in June.

But here she chose to participate in triple jump, having already achieved the qualification mark for Commonwealth Games in long jump. And Friday she achieved the qualification mark (13.6m) in triple jump as well

“It was a very good performance considering that the conditions were not good. There was rain and the field was little bit slippery. In good conditions she would have achieved 13.80,” Mayookha’s coach Jose Mathew told IANS.

“We did not train for this event. It was just normal practice and she has been able to break the record.”

Mathew said she can win a medal in triple jump in Commonwealth Games.

“If she can jump around 14 metre, she will win a medal. And with proper training she will be able to do that. In long jump, she will get a medal with a jump of 6.7 metre. So our focus in the next two months will be to achieve these two targets.”