Pooja Singh Wins High Jump Bronze At Asian Games 2026 After Dramatic Countback

India’s Pooja Singh won the bronze medal in the women’s high jump at the Asian Games after a tense final in which she cleared 1.84m.

Pooja had three attempts at 1.87m but could not clear the height. With none of the other competitors able to go beyond that mark, the Indian athlete finished third on countback.

The result also ended India’s wait for an individual athletics gold medal at the Games.

Pooja Clears 1.84m With Ease

Pooja began the competition at 1.70m and cleared it comfortably, leaving plenty of room between herself and the bar.

She then went over 1.75m and 1.80m in her first attempts before moving on to 1.84m. The 1.84m height proved no problem either, as Pooja cleared it at the first attempt.

She then tried to move higher, but brought the bar down on all three attempts at 1.87m. Despite missing that height, Pooja remained in medal contention because none of her rivals could clear a higher mark.

National Record Holder

Pooja entered the final as India’s national record holder in the event, with a personal and season-best mark of 1.93m.

Her 1.93m clearance had established her as one of the leading young high jumpers in the country.

The final field also included athletes with strong personal bests, including Kazakhstan’s Nadezhda Dubovitskaya, who has cleared 2.00m, and Kristina Ovchinnikova, whose personal best stands at 1.96m.

From A Village In Haryana To The Asian Games Podium

Pooja’s journey to the Asian Games podium has been anything but ordinary.

According to a Sportstar report, Pooja comes from Bosti village in Haryana’s Fatehabad district. Her father, Hansraj Singh, works as a mason and earns around Rs 15,000 a month.

There was no sporting background in the family. Hansraj himself had played kabaddi during his school days but never had the opportunity to pursue sport seriously.

Pooja started her high-jump journey with very basic facilities. She trained by jumping over a bamboo pole, while sacks filled with rice husk were used as a landing area.

Her family’s financial circumstances meant that international travel and professional sporting facilities once seemed far beyond reach.

From Rice Husk Landing Mats To National Record

That modest beginning has now taken Pooja to the Asian Games podium.

At the Asian Junior Championships in Yecheon, South Korea, in June, the then 16-year-old cleared 1.82m to win silver and set a new Indian junior record, according to Sportstar.

Her progress since then has been rapid.

Pooja is still in the Under-20 age group and has several years to develop further. Her performances have already raised expectations that she could challenge the Indian high jump record in the future.

For now, though, Pooja has added a major senior international medal to her growing list of achievements and done so after a dramatic final in which she held her nerve to secure bronze.