Milkha Singh was upset when Anju Bobby George said in an interview to Malyalam Maonrama Television channel “I am looking up to only world standard athletes - Milkha singh and Usha are only Asian level athletes.”
In 2004, Milkha Singh was pinning his Olympics hopes on Anju. But, before 2008 Olympics when Anju said that no Indian athlete is a world class athlete, we suddenly have Milkha Singh remember that Anju Bobby George has not been able to surpass her previous best in the last 4 years.
And after the Olympics, Milkha Singh lambasting her and asking for an action against Anju by IOA (Indian Olympic Association) and AFI (athletics Federation of India) as she could not complete even a single valid jump
Milkha Singh and PT Usha reacted to the comment very personally, though the Anju Bobby George comment was in reply to a question, who was her idol in India. And when she said none, since there was no world class athlete that India had produced, she was asked specifically about why Milkha Singh or PT Usha were not world class athletes. And she had to clarify.
The reality is that the world produces 100s of world class athletes every 4 years, and the nearest measure of those is an Olympics Medal. Now, when after 100 years of Olymics and some 2000-3000 world class athletes, no Indian is in that list, so should an aspiring Olympian be forced to chose someone below the top 2000-3000 athletes in the world, just because they are supposed to have an Indian to be their idol. Notwithstanding Anju’s performance in Olympics, even I await world class Indian athlete. And Anju Bobby George didn’t categorize herself as a world class athlete as well. She’s also trying to be one.. And there is definitely any need to compare who’s greater.. we are all waiting.. I am not sure if anyone else agrees?
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