The historic moment for Indian Athletics was created on September 25, 2026 at Asian Games 2026 when Baranica Elangovan won her bronze medal in the women’s pole vault event. She became the first athlete to win a medal in pole vault at Asian Games.

Who is Baranica Elangovan?

Baranica Elangovan is an Indian pole vaulter who belongs Tamil Nadu. She chose pole vault as her athletic event specialty and played at national level. In 2020, she suffered an ACL injury after which she has to go for rehabilitation and training to make a comeback to competitive athletics.

In 2023, she joined Reliance Foundation High-Performance Centre, Bhubaneswar where she worked on her technique and performance. In 2026 she displayed her significant improvement in performance and established a national record of 4.23m.

Historic Medal for Baranica Elangovan

Baranica cleared the height of 4.15m and won the bronze medal for India. This performance by her was a major milestone itself in Indian athletics. India never won a medal in a technically demanding event like pole vault at Asian Games level.

Baranica’s medal was a joint bronze along with Polina Ivanova from Kazakhstan. They both cleared the height of 4.15m but failed in all three attempts of 4.25m.

Japan’s Misaki Morota wins Gold

In the women’s pole vault event Misaki Morota from Japan won the gold medal. She cleared the height of 4.55m to finish on number in the podium where as Chunge Niu cleared a height of 4.50m to win the silver medal.

4.15m was lower than Baranica’s personal best but this height was enough for her to finish on the podium for the event.

National Record in 2026

2026 season has been very impressive for Baranica even before the Asian Games. She made a national record in March of 4.22 meters and after that in May she improved her own record and cleared a height of 4.23 meters.

At Asian Games final she could not break her own record but 4.15m clearance was more than enough for her to make a special place in Indian athletics history.

Pole Created a Challenge Before Asian Games

An unusual challenge came up before Baranica’s Asian Games campaign. Equipment is very important for pole vault athletes and Baranica’s pole was approximately 4.30 meters long.

Carrying this long equipment was not possible in the airline as they have baggage-length restriction. According to reports her team had to contact multiple airlines to transport her pole and eventually Japan Airlines agreed to transport their equipment.

A New Chapter in Indian Athletics

The Asian Games bronze is not only a medal for Baranica Elangovan but a new chapter for Indian pole vault. She secured a podium finish at such an event where India never won a medal at Asian Games level.

Injury comeback, national record and then winning a bronze at Asian Games her journey is a strong example for India Athletics. This historic win highlights Baranica’s growing presence and increase in expectations of a strong performance in the upcoming international competitions.