For Indian long jumper Ancy Sojan, the Asian Games gold medal is no longer just a distant ambition. It is a goal she is actively visualising as she prepares for the biggest competition of her season.
Ancy continued her strong 2026 campaign by winning the long jump at the World Athletics Silver-level meet in Bhubaneswar on August 22. Her best effort of 6.71m was enough to finish ahead of Shaili Singh, who recorded 6.56m.
Yet Ancy was not completely satisfied with her performance. A knee problem has affected her take-off, preventing her from jumping at her full potential. With the Asian Games approaching, she now plans to rest and return fresh for the competition.
“I have a little bit of a knee issue going on, and I have not been able to take off on the jump the way I want to,” Ancy said.
From national record to Asian Games ambition
Ancy’s confidence has grown significantly this year. In June, she produced a 6.88m jump in Bhubaneswar to break the long-standing national record of Anju Bobby George. She has since registered three jumps beyond 6.70m, establishing herself as one of India’s leading medal contenders for the Asian Games.
Her 6.88m is also the best women’s long jump mark in Asia this year, ahead of China’s Yingying Huang at 6.76m.
Ancy already has Asian Games experience. At the 2023 edition, she won silver with a 6.63m effort, while China’s Xiong Shiqi took gold with 6.73m.
The improved consistency and national record have changed Ancy’s expectations this time around.
“The national record made me stronger. So, I am confident that my average jump should be higher than it used to be,” she said.
But her ultimate target is not simply a medal.
“My main dream is to win the Asian Games and to hear the national anthem when I am at the podium,” she added.
Visualising a seven-metre jump
Ancy has also made visualisation an important part of her preparation. Her approach was partly inspired by badminton coach Vimal Kumar, who encouraged young Indian player Ayush Shetty to use visualisation before his World Championships clash against defending champion Shi Yu Qi.
Shetty went on to produce a major upset by defeating the World No. 1.
Ancy has now adopted a similar mental routine, regularly imagining herself achieving her goals. The most important image is standing on the Asian Games podium and listening to the Indian national anthem. “I say that to myself every day: ‘You are stronger than you think. Believe in yourself. Do not underestimate yourself,’” she said.
The athlete admits that self-doubt has often affected her during competitions, especially when she struggles with her take-off. She is now working to replace those doubts with a specific visual target — a jump beyond seven metres.
The 6.88m national record, she believes, came after she began visualising a performance of that level. She plans to repeat the process before the Asian Games.
The science behind visualisation
Visualisation is sometimes confused with manifestation, but the two concepts are different. While manifestation is generally based on the belief that positive thoughts can influence outcomes, visualisation involves mentally rehearsing an action, thought or emotion.
Psychiatrist Dr Sanjay Chugh explained that mental rehearsal can activate neurological pathways similar to those involved when an action is actually performed. He said repeated visualisation can strengthen these pathways through neuroplasticity, making particular patterns of thinking or behaviour increasingly familiar.
“The brain has already been activated through the process of visualisation,” Dr Chugh explained. For Ancy, the technique is another tool in her preparation alongside physical training and competition experience.
The numbers suggest she has a genuine chance of challenging for gold. But the 25-year-old has set her sights even higher.
A jump beyond seven metres would take her into territory no Indian woman has reached before and could bring her closer to the moment she keeps replaying in her mind — standing on the Asian Games podium as the Indian national anthem plays.
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