Baranica Elangovan wins India's first-ever pole vault medal at Asian Games

Baranica Elangovan in action during the Women's Pole Vault Final

Indian athlete Baranica Elangovan won the bronze medal in the women's pole vault at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, on Friday, giving India its first-ever medal in the event at the Asian Games.The 29-year-old secured the bronze with a best clearance of 4.15m. She shared the medal with Kazakhstan's Polina Ivanova, who also cleared 4.15m. The two athletes matched each other on countback, resulting in a shared bronze.

Baranica began with first-attempt clearances of 3.85m and 4.00m before needing two attempts to clear 4.15m. She then attempted 4.25m but failed on all three attempts, ending her competition with the bronze medal.Her compatriot Sindhushree Ganesha exited the competition without registering a mark, while Baranica remained in contention for a medal.Baranica has also had a strong season, improving the national record twice earlier this year. She first cleared 4.22m in March and then raised the mark to 4.23m in May at Bhubaneswar. Sindhushree G later improved the national record to 4.25m in June. Baranica's season-best remains 4.23m.

The pole vaulter from Tamil Nadu had suffered an ACL injury in 2020 and went through a challenging period of rehabilitation, after which she moved to the Reliance Foundation High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar in 2023.Japan's Misaki Morota won the gold with a best clearance of 4.55m, while China's Chunge Neu took silver with 4.50m.Baranica's bronze took India's overall medal tally at the Asian Games to 23, including two gold, nine silver and 12 bronze medals.