Baranica Elangovan claimed a historic bronze in the women's pole vault at Nagoya, securing India's first-ever Asian Games medal in the event
Clearing 4.15m to share the podium alongside Russia's Polina Ivanova, she capped off a stellar 2026 breakthrough
The landmark medal contributed to a golden Day 7 for India, pushing the nation's total medal count to 23 at the Aichi-Nagoya Games
Baranica Elangovan Makes History; Wins Bronze To Be India's First Asian Games Medallist In Pole Vault
Baranica Elangovan clinched a historic bronze medal in the women's pole vault at Nagoya by clearing 4.15m, securing India's first-ever continental podium finish in the event. This landmark performance capped off a stellar 2026 breakthrough season and contributed to a massive medal haul for the country on Day 7 of the Asian Games
Summary
Baranica Elangovan cleared 4.15m to win bronze in the women's pole vault final in Nagoya — India's first ever Asian Games medal in the event, across both men's and women's competition. Baranica and Russia's Polina Ivanova both successfully crossed 4.15m and then missed at 4.25m, meaning both athletes were awarded bronze on countback.
The medal is the breakthrough moment of a rapid rise for the 29-year-old from Tamil Nadu. A three-time national outdoor champion, Baranica endured a no-mark at the 2023 Asian Championships before turning her season around emphatically in 2026 — clearing the Asian Games qualifying mark of 4.10m to win gold at the Indian Open Jumps Competition in Bengaluru in March, then smashing the national indoor record with a 4.22m clearance days later.
She arrived in Nagoya with a personal best of 4.23m, locked in a season-long duel with training partner and fellow finalist Sindhushree Ganesha for the Indian record, a rivalry that has pushed both athletes to new heights all year. That competitive edge showed up exactly when it mattered, on the biggest stage of her career.
Baranica's bronze extended India's landmark Day 7 in athletics and beyond, a day that also saw Gulveer Singh claim silver in the men's 10,000m, Manpreet Kaur win shot put bronze, and India strike gold in shooting's mixed team pistol event — pushing the country's overall medal tally past 20 at the Aichi-Nagoya Games.
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