Baranica Elangovan makes history with India’s first Asian NAGOYA, September 25, 2026: Baranica Elangovan scripted a slice of Indian athletics history on Friday, winning the bronze medal in the women’s pole vault at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games to give India its first-ever medal in the event at the Asian Games.
The 29-year-old Indian cleared 4.15 metres to finish third, sharing the bronze with Kazakhstan’s Polina Ivanova, who also cleared 4.15m. The two athletes remained tied after recording the same number of failures at 4.25m.
Japan’s Misaki Morota won the gold after clearing 4.55m, while China’s Niu Chunge took silver with a 4.50m clearance.
For Baranica, the bronze marks a landmark moment for Indian pole vault. No Indian athlete had previously won an Asian Games medal in the event, making her podium finish the country’s first in the discipline at the continental showpiece.
The Tamil Nadu athlete came into the Asian Games with a national record of 4.23m, set in Bhubaneswar earlier this year. The Athletics Federation of India had listed her season-best mark at 4.23m ahead of the Games.
Her Nagoya performance adds another significant chapter to India’s growing athletics medal haul at the 2026 Asian Games and underlines the progress of women’s pole vault in the country.
Baranica’s bronze is more than a podium finish — it is India’s first Asian Games medal in women’s pole vault, and a new landmark for Indian athletics.
