Baranica Elangovan made history with the first pole vault medal at the Asian Games in India

There has never been an Indian on the pole vault podium at the Asian Games. Baranica Elangovan changed that in Nagoya on Friday when she cleared 4.15m to claim a historic bronze in the women’s event and end India’s long wait in an event that has yet to produce a medal at the continental Games.

Baranica, 29, shared bronze with Kazakhstan’s Polina Ivanova after both athletes cleared 4.15m before failing to clear 4.25m. They had the same number of misses, leading to a tie for third place. Japan’s Misaki Morota won gold with a personal best of 4.55m, while China’s Chunge Niu took silver with 4.50m.

Born on February 3, 1997, in Mayiladuthurai, Tamil Nadu, Baranica has come a long way to reach the Asian Games podium. An ACL injury in 2020 forced her into a lengthy rehab, but she continued her efforts to return to competitive athletics. In 2023, she moved to the Reliance Foundation High Performance Center in Bhubaneswar, where access to better training and recovery facilities helped her work her way back into action.

BARANICA ELANGOVAN WITH HISTORY!

Baranica Elangovan clears 4.15m to win BRONZE at the Asian Games – becoming India’s first ever Asian Games pole vault medalist, both men’s and women’s.

Baranica and Polina Ivanova both cleared 4.15m but failed at 4.25m and won them — nnis Sports|Asian GamesAthletics (@nnis_sports) September 25, 2026

She had a difficult exit at the 2023 Asian Championships, where she recorded a no-mark, but the following years saw a steady rise. In March 2026, Baranica cleared 4.22m at the National Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, setting a new national record. At the Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault in May, she improved her mark to 4.23m, clearing her personal best at the same height.

Her performances on the domestic circuit have also earned her a place among the top Indian pole vaulters. Baranica cleared the Asian Games qualifying mark of 4.10m to win gold at the Indian Open Jumps Competition in Bengaluru in March and later won the pole vault title at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships by clearing 4.20m.

Baranica’s season also included a close battle with training partner and fellow finalist Sindhushree Ganesha. The two have been pushing each other all year, chasing the Indian record, with Baranica eventually raising the mark to 4.23m before heading to Nagoya.

The work behind its rise also included support through Indian sports programs. It received assistance for a pre-competition training camp in India and Japan ahead of the Asian Games and was given financial assistance of Rs 4,65,678 under the Annual Training and Competition Calendar (ACTC) during the Asian Games cycle.

Her bronze came on a productive day for the Indian athletics contingent in Nagoya. Gulveer Singh upgraded his Asian Games bronze to silver in the men’s 10,000m, while Manpreet Kaur won bronze in the women’s shot put. India also won gold in the mixed team pistol event, taking its medal tally to over 20 at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.

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