Pole vaulter Baranica Elangovan hopes her Asian Games medal eases next generation's struggles

When Baranica Elangovan first walked into a pole vault pit in Chennai, she wasn't particularly interested in taking up the event. Having initially pursued multiple disciplines, including triple jump, she had a different idea of how her athletics career would unfold.

Pole vault, however, had other plans.

"I didn't choose pole vault. Pole vault chose me," Baranica tells The Bridge.

A suggestion from her college physical education director, who informed her that coach Milber Russell was looking for an athlete, eventually brought her to the event. Baranica was initially reluctant, but something about pole vault caught her attention.

"I actually went there to say no. I didn't want to take up this event. I wondered how I could run with a pole and do something like that! But after watching it, I felt that it was different. I thought, why shouldn't I give it a try?," she recalls.

What began as an experiment gradually turned into a decade-long pursuit, culminating in a historic moment at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan.

Baranica became the first Indian pole vaulter to win an Asian Games medal, clearing 4.15m to claim bronze alongside Kazakhstan's Polina Ivanova.

Looking back at the achievement, the Tamil Nadu athlete says the medal represented far more than the result of one competition.

"I'm really happy because when I look back, I can remember all my struggles, hard work and setbacks. Nobody had really imagined winning a medal in pole vault, especially at the Asian Games. It came as a surprise to everyone," she says.

"I'm particularly happy that I was able to break that mental barrier. We hadn't won medals in pole vault at the Asian Games or Commonwealth Games. Now I feel that performances will improve, and it will also inspire the younger generation."

From two poles to a historic podium

Baranica's journey was never straightforward. Even after discovering her potential in pole vault, access to the right equipment became one of her earliest challenges.

Unlike many athletic disciplines, pole vault requires athletes to work with multiple poles of different lengths and stiffness ratings, depending on their training requirements and competition conditions.

When Baranica began training under Russell, the resources were limited.

"When I joined Coach Milber, I didn't even have a pole. When we started, we had just two poles. A pole vault athlete needs around 10 poles. Training poles and competition poles are different. During competitions, we usually use three to four poles," she explains.

The lack of suitable equipment made learning the technique considerably more difficult. She also had to contend with injuries, financial difficulties and the physical demands of an event that requires considerable speed, strength and technical precision.

Her first major breakthrough came at the 2018 All-India Inter-University Championships, where she won gold with a clearance of 3.80m. However, an ACL injury in 2019 brought that progress to a halt.

The subsequent surgery and rehabilitation proved to be among the most difficult periods of her career.

"Financially, I wasn't in a good position, and I struggled to afford the surgery. But my coach supported me. I followed whatever routine and instructions he gave me because I didn't want to give up," she says.

"I didn't want to quit just because I had experienced setbacks. I wanted to prove to everyone that I was capable of doing it."

Even after undergoing ACL reconstruction, the pain continued to affect her training. She couldn't work out alongside the other athletes and had to carefully manage her workload.

"I would train for one day and then take a complete day or sometimes two days off. That's how I managed my training and continued competing. The initial two years were extremely difficult. I struggled to cope with the pain, and it never completely went away."

Finding her way back, one step at a time

A move to the Reliance Foundation High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar proved to be an important turning point.

For the first time, Baranica had access to structured rehabilitation, sports science support and a more comprehensive approach to athlete development.

She admits that before the move, she and her coach had been navigating several aspects of her recovery without adequate support.

"We didn't know the proper protocols or how recovery should be approached. We also didn't have access to sports nutrition support or psychological assistance. I struggled in several areas," she says.

The transition wasn't immediate. Despite receiving better support, it took her another two to three years to overcome the physical and psychological impact of the injury.

"I gradually started receiving all these forms of support. It took me another two years to come out of the trauma associated with the injury and pain," she says.

Her coaches, including Russell and the support staff at the foundation, continued to encourage her, believing that she had the potential to reach greater heights.

"They kept telling me that I was capable of achieving more. I'm only now beginning to break those mental barriers. Only now do I have a clear understanding of what my body is going through and what I need to do."

A change in mindset behind her breakthrough season

The progress eventually began to reflect in her performances.

In March 2026, Baranica cleared 4.22m at the National Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, surpassing Rosy Meena Paulraj's previous national record of 4.21m. She improved the mark further to 4.23m at the Indian Open Combined Events and Pole Vault Competition in May.

However, the improvement wasn't simply about technical adjustments.

Baranica believes the biggest difference came from learning to trust the process and committing to a particular approach without putting herself under unnecessary pressure.

Before the season, she and Russell sat down to discuss their plans. They decided to concentrate on one technical cue, particularly her run-up, rather than making several changes simultaneously.

"We decided not to put too much pressure on ourselves. We had the Asian Games and Commonwealth Games coming up, so we decided to follow just one technical cue and see how it worked, regardless of the outcome," she says.

"We made a few changes to my run-up. We're still working on them, and I haven't mastered them completely yet. But those adjustments gave me a lot of confidence. I decided to stick to my coach's instructions, and that helped me perform more freely."

Her improved confidence was evident at the Asian Games, where she cleared 4.15m before attempting 4.25m.

Baranica believes she could have gone higher, but a crucial piece of equipment was missing.

"My coach had already told me that the pole was too soft and that I needed another one to perform properly. Unfortunately, we didn't have that pole with us. But we decided to try anyway," she explains.

Despite missing out on 4.25m, she was satisfied with her performance.

"My coach was satisfied because I had given my best. He told me that I had done everything I could and that the only thing that didn't support me that day was the pole. That's the only thing we both regret."

A special moment in the stands

While the medal itself was the culmination of years of hard work, one of the most memorable moments from the Asian Games came after her achievement.

A video of Baranica spotting her husband in the stands, wearing a T-shirt commemorating her national record, captured the emotional side of her historic evening.

Her husband had attended a couple of domestic competitions earlier, but Japan was his first international trip to watch her compete.

"I knew he was coming, but the T-shirt was a huge surprise. I had no idea about it. It had 'Baranica 4.23m' written on it, referring to my national record. I didn't know he was going to wear that T-shirt," she says.

"It was a really big surprise, and I was very happy. We were both extremely happy because it was his first international competition, and I had won a medal as well."

Baranica's medal has opened up new possibilities for Indian pole vault. She is also keen to see the sport develop through greater institutional support and increased access to equipment and coaching.

"When I started, I had only two poles, and I struggled a lot. Learning the technique itself was difficult because the poles I had weren't the ones I actually needed. Sometimes, you need a smaller pole, but it simply wasn't available. When you repeatedly practise with a pole that isn't suitable for you, it creates fear," she says.

"But I believe the younger generation won't have to face these kinds of obstacles anymore because people and organisations have started supporting athletes."