Her every leap at Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, was followed by a collective gasp at long-jumper Ancy Sojan’s home at Nattika here. Eyes fixed on the screen, hands folded in prayer, the family waited with bated breath.

The 6.49-metre opening jump had already put the family on edge. When Ancy stretched it to 6.53 metres in her fifth attempt, excitement surged through the house. Her father Sojan, mother Jancy, siblings, and neighbours followed every jump with anticipation.

The battle remained fierce till the end. A strong final jump by Chinese athlete Huang Yingying dimmed Ancy’s hopes of gold. The family once again folded their hands, praying for a miracle in Ancy’s final jump. The gold-winning leap never came. The celebrations did. Firecrackers went off and sweets were distributed as Nattika celebrated another major international achievement by its daughter. Pride was writ large on the faces all around.

“Winning silver for the country at two consecutive Asian Games is a great achievement,” said Sojan. Ancy had won silver at the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou too.

Beyond the podium

For the Sojan family, the medal carries a significance far beyond the podium. Sojan, an autorickshaw driver, had set aside whatever he could save from his earnings to support his children’s sports dreams. Financial constraints never stopped him from backing Ancy and her siblings.

Ancy’s journey began at Government Fisheries Higher Secondary School, Nattika, where the young athlete gradually emerged as a national-level talent. Behind the latest Asian Games silver lies years of persistence by an athlete and a family that kept choosing sports despite troubles.

The gold may have slipped away, but the silver has added another bright chapter to a family’s extraordinary sporting journey.