After the magnificent end to the current season, long-jumper Anju Bobby George has her eyes set firmly on the various high-level competitions she aims to win next year.
With very little left to achieve at the Asian level where she has already established herself as the marquee athlete, Anju is now eyeing glory at the biggest stage.
"We have the World Indoor Championships in Moscow in March followed by the Commonwealth Games in Melbourne for which I would have to be at my best," shesaid in an exclusive interview.
"We also have the World Cup in Athens and the World Championships in Stockholm apart from the Asian Games in Doha, so it is going to be a pretty hectic season," said Anju, fresh from her silver medal winning effort at the World Athleticsfinal in Monaco.
She had missed the World Indoor Championships last year and had finished seventh in the 2003 edition staged in Birmingham.
"We cannot afford to prioritise events as all of them contribute towards IAAF world rankings. I am aiming for victory in all of them," Anju said.
The lanky Keralite admitted that competition at the Asian and Commonwealth level was not very stiff and she had very little to prove there.
"Only 22 countries participate in women's long jump in Asia and only 70-odd in the Commonwealth countries," she said, adding "more than 200 countries are in the reckoning atthe World Championships and World Cups".
Attributing Anju's recent good performances to a decent build-up in preparation, her husband and coach Bobby George said they constantly worked on various techniques to increase the distance she could leap. "We are still learning and constantly experimenting with various sprinting techniques to see what can provide the best performance," Bobby said.
Adjusting to various weather conditions at different venues was also part of the process.
Responding to a query about the less impressive performances leading up to the Helsinki World Championships, Bobby attributed it to allergies, knee pain and general wear and tear on Anju's body.
Anju plans to start training in Bangalore after a rest of two or three weeks and then leave for Melbourne in January for acclimatisation before the Commonwealth Games. She is also scheduled to undergo a short training stint in California before the major events start rolling.
"The US, Australia and Europe have the best facilities and equipment needed for advanced training which are lacking in India," she said.
"When training in India, I have to fill my car with equipment and even a portable massage table," Anju said.
Analysing Anju's technique, her coach said she is not blessed with great strength or speed but "makes the best use of her attributes to deliver an outstandingcombination".