Anju drawn in tough group

Long jumper Anju Bobby George [ Images ] has been drawn in Group 'A' in the women's long jump qualification round at the Olympic Games [ Images ] along with strong contender Marion Jones [ Images ] of the United States.

As per the groupings released on Tuesday, Anju has several top long jumpers in her group, including French world champion Eunice Barber, who has a personal best of 7.05 metres.

Apart from Jones (7.31m) and Barber, there are two other jumpers in the group  -- Fiona May of Italy [ Images ] and Irina Simgina of Russia [ Images ] -- who have personal bests of over seven metres.

Anju has a personal best of 6.74m and a season best of 6.71m in the build-up to the Olympics [ Images ] and if the script unfolds on form, it could be very tough for her to make it to the podium.

World number two Tatyana Lebedeva [ Images ] of Russia and her world number one compatriot Tatyana Kotova have been placed in the other group.

Tatyana has a personal best of 7.33m and is a strong contender for the gold medal in the event.

The final of the event is scheduled for August 27.