I want my children to be athletes: Anju Bobby George

New Delhi, February 3, 2018: India’s sole medal winner in the
IAAF World Championship, Anju Bobby George on Saturday said that she definitely
would want her kids to become athletes.

“I definitely would want my kids to become athletes. Though,
we haven’t decided on any particular sport, I am sure they will end up making a
career in sports. I think they have inherited sports in their genes from Bobby
(husband) and me,” George said after presenting medals to the winners of
athletics of the Khelo India School Games here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

With both parents being heavily invested into sports, and
having competed at the highest level, they have a natural ability to spot
talent at a young age.

“Andrea has shown early signs. She’s very quick in her
reflexes; we can already see a spark in her,” she said.

She also believes that an early grounding in athletics will
equip her children for any sport.

“Athletics is the mother of all sports. It helps to develop
flexibility and muscle strength, which is an asset for any sport. So, if we
give her a good base with athletics, she will excel in any sport. Aaron (son)
has just started getting familiar with different sports,” said the prominent women
athlete.  

She believes specialised training for a specific sport should
not start before the age of 12.

“Before that they should be playing different sports for
overall physical development,” believes George.

Anju Bobby George, who trained in an era when athletes were
left to their own devices to find the right resources, believes that the Khelo
India School Games is a real game changer.