Baranica Elangovan created history on Friday by becoming the first Indian to win a medal in the pole vault at the Asian Games. The 29-year-old secured a bronze medal at the Aichi-Nagoya Games after clearing 4.15m at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya.
Baranica shared the bronze with Kazakhstan’s Polina Ivanova, who also cleared 4.15m. Both athletes had an identical record after the countback, leading to a joint third-place finish.
Japan’s Misaki Morota won the gold medal with a personal best of 4.55m, while China’s Niu Chunge took silver after clearing 4.50m.
Baranica Clears 4.15m For Historic Medal
Baranica began her competition strongly, clearing 3.85m and 4.00m on her first attempts.
She faced her first problem at 4.15m but managed to clear the height on her second attempt. She then raised the bar to 4.25m in a bid to move higher up the standings.
However, she could not clear 4.25m in any of her three attempts. Her effort of 4.15m was enough to secure a historic bronze.
The other Indian in the event, Sindhushree Ganesha, could not register a valid mark and finished at the bottom of the standings.
From ACL Injury To National Record
Baranica’s journey to the Asian Games podium has come after several years of hard work and setbacks.
Born on February 3, 1997, in Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, she suffered an ACL injury in 2020. The injury forced her to go through a long rehabilitation period before she could return to competitive athletics.
In 2023, she moved to the Reliance Foundation High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar. Access to better training and recovery facilities helped her make steady progress.
Baranica Breaks Her Own National Record
Baranica enjoyed a major breakthrough in 2026. She cleared 4.22m at the National Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar in March, setting a new national record.
She improved that mark again in May at the Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault Competition, clearing 4.23m.