Ancy Sojan blames fatigue, fate for missing Asian Games gold by 2cm

India’s star long jumper Ancy Sojan settled for a silver medal at the 2026 Asian Games after China’s Yingying Huang overtook her with a 6.55m jump. Ancy said fatigue, wet conditions and lack of luck denied her a maiden Asian Games gold.

Hyderabad: Ancy Sojan said ‘tiredness’ and ‘fate’ conspired to deny her a maiden Asian Games gold medal by just two centimetres.

Having led the field with consummate ease, India’s top long jumper was relegated to second position by China’s Yingying Huang, who jumped to 6.55 metres at the Nagoya City Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium on a rainy evening on Sunday. Mengyi Tan of China took the bronze with a leap of 6.46m.

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Ancy battled fatigue and a slippery track in her last three jumps which would finally prove decisive. In an exclusive interaction with SAI Media, Ancy said: “I was leading and was praying to God not to let me down. I thought 6:55 is nothing and I was trying for 6:60-plus but that didn’t happen. Unfortunately, it was not my day and I had no choice but to accept my fate.”

“The Asian Games silver is a reward for the hard work I have put in this season. It was a very long season and I have learnt a lot. I fought hard and gave my 100% at Aichi-Nagoya but it was not my day,” said Ancy.

For Ancy, 2026 has been a fabulous year. Starting with a bronze at the Asian Indoor Championships, the 25-year-old from Thrissur, Kerala, ended the year with her second Asian Games silver. A major milestone came when Ancy produced a remarkable 6.88m at the National Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, breaking Anju Bobby George’s 22-year-old Indian national record of 6.83m.

World championship medallist Anju was trackside when Ancy and Shaili Singh competed at Aichi-Nagoya. “She came and gave me tips on how to extend my landing. She encouraged me a lot and I really enjoyed that,” said Ancy.

Ancy has been a Target Olympics Podium Scheme (TOPS) athlete since December 2021. She made the headlines with a long jump silver medal at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. Given her current form, Ancy was tipped to change the colour of her medal this time in Japan.

“Mentally, I was prepared that the Chinese will give me tough competition. Then when I came here it was raining. I had to find a solution under the circumstances. Being an Indian Navy person, it’s not in me to give up. I told myself that I will fight till the end. I was completely pressure free but probably my body was not supporting in the last three jumps,” said Ancy.