BENGALURU: Ace long jumper Ancy Sojan, who battled the rain and slippery conditions in Nagoya, only to see the gold slip from her grasp in the sixth and final round, was the latest victim of online trolls who mocked the national record holder for her fashion and makeup during the women’s long jump final.“Fashion kills sports person performance, they lose focus otherwise she could have got the gold,” trolled one person, who used the handle y2k_2026. Across the three popular social media platforms — Instagram, Facebook and X — the jumper, a Chief Petty Officer in the Indian Navy, faced a flurry of comments that poked fun at her makeup, colourful braids and clips.“Some people are saying that because of my necklace, hair braids, ornaments and hair pins, I lost the gold medal. And some said that I lost (the gold) by two centimeters because of my show-off. Another one said, ‘This is not a wedding so why is she wearing jewellery’… such kind of negative comments,” Ancy described the adverse comments directed at her. But she told TOI that she is never bothered by such trolling.“I’m actually not bothered by such negative comments. Previously, also after I won some people posted some negative reels. Most of these are from fake accounts and I won’t be troubled by them. I’m not going to run after these people and rather leave it here. On the other hand, my Insta account has more reach,” the athlete, with 87.2K followers on social media, said.The Kerala State Athletics Association (KSAA), meanwhile, launched a campaign — ‘Stand With Ancy’ — against the trolls. “Our athletes cannot be humiliated like this,” KSAA official Sakeer Hussain said, adding that they were planning to take up the matter with the state police.Shooter Manu Bhaker was mocked for her lack of form. Former international shooter Heena Sidhu said women are easy targets for abusers, be it body shaming or causing mental trouble.“The SAI, federations, state govts should take note of this as India’s top athletes are getting targeted. They should take it up with the concerned authorities on behalf of the athletes,” Heena told TOI.
