Baranica Elangovan wins historic pole vault bronze at Asian Games

Baranica Elangovan won a bronze medal in the women's pole vault at the Asian Games on Friday, clearing 4.15 metres to become the first Indian to win a medal in the event. Getting her equipment to Nagoya required overcoming a major travel hurdle before the competition even started. Her pole measured 4.30 metres, which far exceeded the standard 3.40-metre limit allowed by airline regulations. Coach Milber Bertrand Russell noted that they approached more than six or seven airlines with emails and requests before the Athletics Federation of India intervened to explain the sports context to airline officials. Once in Nagoya, Baranica needed two attempts to clear 4.15 metres, falling short of her own national record of 4.23 metres set earlier this year, but her height was enough to secure a spot on the podium. She shared the bronze medal with Polina Ivanova of Kazakhstan, who also cleared 4.15 metres. Misaki Morota of Japan won gold with a 4.55-metre jump, while Niu Chunge of China took silver at 4.50 metres. This success follows a long recovery from a torn ACL in her take-off leg, an injury that forced her to spend years rebuilding her career before breaking national records this year. Baranica expressed joy after the event, stating that bringing a medal to her country and rewriting history was her dream.