Anju Bobby George was born in Kottayam, Kerala, on April 19, 1977. Her father pushed her to athletics, and her trainer at Koruthode School cultivated her enthusiasm. Anju's abilities were recognised at the national school games, where she took third in the 4 x 100 m relay and the 100 m hurdles.

At the Manchester 2002 Commonwealth Games, she won the bronze medal after clearing 6.49 metres. At the Asian Games, she also took home the gold medal. Anju became the first Indian athlete to ever win a medal at a World Championship in Athletics when she won the bronze medal in the long jump event, clearing 6.70 m, at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics in Paris. In 2003, she also took home a gold medal from the Afro-Asian Games. She placed fifth at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens after setting a personal best of 6.83 metres. The current national record for India is this.

Anju won the women's long jump gold medal at the 16th Asian Athletics Championship in September 2005. She later went on to win the 2005 IAAF World Athletics Final gold medal. In the women's long jump event at the 15th Asian Games in 2006, she took home a silver medal. A silver medal was earned by Anju in the 17th Asian Athletics Championship in 2007. Anju began her 2008 campaign in athletics by winning the silver medal at the third Asian Indoor Championship and the gold medal at the third South Asian Athletics Championship.

She competed in the 2004 Athens Olympics, but her 6.83 score, which was a personal best, allowed her to finish in fifth place. She competed in the 2008 Beijing Olympics as well, however she was unable to advance to the women's long jump competition.

She presently serves as the TOPS (Target Olympic Podium Scheme) chairwoman and as an executive member of the Khelo India initiative, which the Indian government established. The Athletics Federation of India has appointed her senior vice president as well.

Anju won the world athletic meet, winning the Arjuna award for distinguished athletes from the Indian government in 2002–2003 and the Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna award, the nation's highest sporting distinction, in 2003–2004. In 2004, she received the Padma Shri, the fourth-highest civilian honour in India. She received the BBC Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021. 

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