'I competed in the wrong era,' says Anju Bobby George

Legendary Indian athlete Anju Bobby George, the vice-president of the Athletics Federation of India (AFI), said she played 'in the wrong era', as things have improved a lot now.

Anju, India's first-ever medallist at the World Athletics Championships, hailed Prime Minister Narendra Modi's willingness to promote and transform sports in India.

"As a sportsperson, I was here for almost 25 years and I'm seeing a lot of changes. When I got India's first global medal 20 years ago, even my department was not ready to give me a promotion," said Anju at a programme organised at the PM's residence on Christmas Monday.

"But after Neeraj (Chopra) got a medal, I have seen the changes… the way we are celebrating... I envy them because I was in the wrong era," she added.

Anju won a bronze medal in the long jump at the 2003 World Championships in Paris.

"Women empowerment is not just a word now. Every Indian girl is ready to dream and they know their dreams will come true," said the athlete, among the celebrities at the event.

"I think in the near future, we will be at the top (of sports world)," she said.

Anju won a gold medal at the 2003 Afro-Asian Games and achieved her personal best of 6.83m at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, which enabled her to make a fifth-place finish.

Anju was conferred the Arjuna Award in 2002, Khel Ratna in 2003 and Padma Shri in 2004.