Tamil Nadu's Baranica Elangovan Sets New National Record In Women’s Pole Vault

Bhubaneswar, May 3: Tamil Nadu's Baranica Elangovan continued her remarkable run in women's pole vault, setting a new national record of 4.23m at the Bhubaneswar Indoor Stadium on Sunday.

The 29-year-old improved her own previous record of 4.22m, which she had set just weeks earlier during the inaugural National Indoor Athletics Championships at the same venue. Elangovan achieved the milestone clearance on her third attempt, reinforcing her growing dominance in the discipline.

"It was another good day for me," she said after surpassing her own mark and setting a fresh benchmark in Indian women's pole vault.

Now based in Odisha after moving from Tamil Nadu, Elangovan has clearly benefited from training in Bhubaneswar, with the indoor stadium turning into a productive venue for her record-breaking performances.

Other Medalists In The Event

In other events, Thowfeeq N of NCOE Trivandrum secured gold in the men's heptathlon with a total of 5350 points, maintaining his lead from Day One. He finished ahead of Usaid Khan (5288 points) and Jashbir Nayak (5250 points). Tamil Nadu's Kirthik Vasan S clinched the men's U20 heptathlon title with 4609 points, followed by Jinoy Jayan and Aryan Parkash.

In the women's pentathlon, Odisha's Purnima Hembram topped the standings with 3835 points, while Isha Chandra Prakash and Bidisha Kundu finished second and third, respectively. The women's U20 pentathlon title was claimed by Jaskiran Kaur of Uttarakhand with 3272 points, ahead of Priya and Alfaz Kaur Grewal.

In the women's pole vault event, Elangovan's record-breaking 4.23m effort placed her well ahead of Nitika and Blessy Kunjumon, who both cleared 3.90m. Elangovan's latest achievement marks a significant step forward for Indian athletics, highlighting the steady progress in field events and the growing impact of indoor competitions in the country.