\u201cEither seven metres or a gold medal - this is what I want,\u201d Ancy told Olympics.com.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The 25-year-old has already moved beyond one of the biggest benchmarks in Indian women\u2019s long jump. Her 6.88m leap earlier this year erased Anju Bobby George\u2019s national record of 6.83m, which had stood for 22 years.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Yet the record was never the destination for Ancy.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI never targeted the record. I always targeted seven metres,\u201d she added.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Seven metres would carry significance beyond another entry in the record books. Ancy wants to become the first Indian woman to reach the mark, believing such a breakthrough could alter the ambitions of those following her.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cI want to do something extraordinary or something different,\u201d Ancy said. \u201cEverybody says they want an Olympic medal or a World Championship medal. I want more than a medal\u2026 Nobody has reached the seven-metre mark. I am aiming to be the first woman to cross the seven-metre mark in India.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Her national record has given her a clearer idea of what remains to be done. Rather than treating 6.88m as the culmination of her progress, Ancy sees it as evidence that the seven-metre barrier is within reach \u2014 provided she can raise the quality of her approach and take-off.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIt is achievable, but not easily. I need to push harder again and again,\u201d she said. \u201cI know what kind of runway can help me reach there.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Ancy has also found her own standards rising alongside the level of competition within Indian women\u2019s long jump. Nayana James was one of the established names when she entered the senior circuit, while Shaili Singh has emerged as a significant domestic challenger in recent seasons.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Shaili\u2019s 6.76m effort as an 18-year-old in 2023, in particular, became a source of motivation for Ancy rather than pressure<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhen she performed, I started pushing and I got my personal best the same year,\u201d Ancy said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Their rivalry, Ancy believes, can benefit the event as a whole by creating an environment in which Indian jumpers continually demand more from themselves.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cIf she is there, I feel better. If I am there, she feels better. It will help us take our long jumpers\u2019 performance range to a world-class level.\u201d<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The emergence of Mubassina Mohammed, who has also surpassed 6.50m, adds further depth to an event that Ancy believes can continue to progress.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For her, the importance of breaking the seven-metre barrier would extend beyond personal achievement.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cOnce a person hits that (7m) mark, everybody gets the courage and spirit that they can also do the same,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The immediate stage for that pursuit will be the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya. Ancy returns to the continental event after taking silver in Hangzhou, but this time she has no intention of settling for second place.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cOnce a person hits that (7m) mark, everybody gets the courage and spirit that they can also do the same,\u201d she said.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
For now, the two ambitions remain intertwined. A seven-metre jump would create a piece of Indian athletics history, while an Asian Games title would complete the step up from the silver she won in Hangzhou.<\/p>\r\n\r\n