‘I Was Aiming For 4.30m’: Baranica Elangovan Reflects On Historic Asian Games Bronze

Baranica Elangovan has added another remarkable chapter to her breakthrough 2026 season, becoming the first Indian athlete to win a pole vault medal at the Asian Games after securing bronze at the Aichi-Nagoya Games on Friday.

Making her Asian Games debut, the 29-year-old Tamil Nadu-born athlete cleared 4.15m at the Mizuho Park Athletic Stadium in Nagoya to share the bronze medal with Kazakhstan's Polina Ivanova.

The two athletes finished with identical best efforts of 4.15m and also matched each other on the countback, resulting in a shared bronze medal.

Japan's Misaki Morota produced the performance of the competition to win gold with a 4.55m clearance, setting a new national record in the process. China's Niu Chunge took silver after clearing 4.50m.

For Baranica, however, the medal was about much more than just a place on the podium. It was the culmination of a season in which she has repeatedly pushed the limits of Indian women's pole vault.

Baranica began her Asian Games final with confidence, clearing 3.85m and 4.00m on her first attempts. She faced her first challenge at 4.15m but successfully cleared the height on her second attempt.

She then raised the bar to 4.25m in search of an even bigger finish. Despite three attempts, she could not clear the height and eventually settled for a historic bronze.

Speaking exclusively to myKhel after her medal-winning performance, Baranica admitted that while she was delighted to make history, she had expected more from herself.

"I'm really happy for the medal and I'm dedicating this medal to my coach Milber Russell. But I'm disappointed with my performance today, because I was aiming for 4.30m but I have only cleared 4.15m. But I will prepare for my next competition next."

That ambition reflects the remarkable progress Baranica has made throughout 2026.

Her season began with a national record at the National Indoor Championships in Bhubaneswar, where she cleared 4.22m to surpass Rosy Meena Paulraj's previous Indian record of 4.21m, set in 2022.

Baranica did not have to wait long to improve her own mark.

Just a month later, she cleared 4.23m at the Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault 2026 meet in Bhubaneswar, adding another centimetre to the national record. She finished ahead of Nitika Anup Akare and Blessy Kunjumon, both of whom recorded 3.90m.

Her run of success continued at the Inter-State Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, where she secured qualification for the Asian Games.

It was another important milestone at a venue that has played a major role in her remarkable season.

And now, in Nagoya, Baranica has gone one step further.

With her 4.15m clearance, she has become the first Indian to win a pole vault medal at the Asian Games.

The bronze may not have matched the 4.30m height she had targeted, but it represents a historic achievement for Indian athletics and another major step forward in Baranica Elangovan's rapidly developing career.

For an athlete who has already rewritten the national record twice this year, the historic Asian Games medal could be another starting point rather than an ending.

And Baranica's message after the competition was clear: she is already looking ahead to the next challenge.