Long jumper Anju George’s plans of staging a comeback at the ongoing National inter-State athletics championships in Hyderabad could not materialize as she was recovering from a respiratory infection.
“I have resumed training, but I am not hundred per cent fit to be able to go into a competition,” said Anju on phone on Saturday as the meet opened in Hyderabad.
The National record (6.83m) holder was planning to return to competition since limping off the qualifying round in the Beijing Olympic Games, where she aggravated an old injury, in order to aim for the qualification standard for the London Olympics.
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She will now have to wait for two competitions in Europe, the Sollentuna Grand Prix in Stockholm, Sweden, on July 5 and the Portuguese National championships in Lisbon on July 7-8 to aim for that mark. The entry deadline for the Olympics is July 8.
Anju said long jump was not part of the programme at the Asian All Stars meet in Almaty (June 30-July 1) or otherwise she could have made an attempt there to qualify there.
The ‘B’ standard is 6.65m while the ‘A’ standard stands at 6.75m.
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Anju and husband Bobby George, who is also her coach, are expected to leave for Europe on July 1.