Baranica Elangovan became the first Indian to win a pole vault medal at the Asian Games, after she clinched bronze at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on Friday.
The 29-year-old shared the bronze medal with Kazakhstan’s Polina Ivanova at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya.
PROFILE – Baranica’s slow and steady rise to becoming India’s premier women’s pole vaulter
Baranica and Ivanova both had the same best effort (4.15m) and matched each other’s countback, resulting in a shared medal.
Japan’s Misaki Morota won gold with a best jump of 4.55m as she broke her own National Record, while China’s Niu Chunge claimed the silver with a leap of 4.50m.
Baranica, making her Asiad debut, started off with first-time clearances of 3.85m and 4.00m. She had her first misstep at 4.15m, which she cleared with her second attempt.
The Tamil Nadu-born athlete then went for 4.25m, but failed on all three of her attempts to end up with the bronze medal.
The other Indian in the fray, Sindhushree Ganesha, failed to register a mark and finished joint bottom.
Published on Sep 25, 2026
