Baranica Elangovan sets new National Record in women's pole vault at 1st National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026
(Courtesy :Â @rfyouthsports/Instagram)
She has already breached the qualifying mark for upcoming Asian Games.
Tamil Nadu’s Baranica Elangovan set a new National Record in the women’s pole vault event on Day 1 of the 1st National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026 at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha.
The 29-year-old registered a best vault of 4.22m to break P. Rosy Meena’s outdoor national record of 4.21m set in 2022. She also broke the national indoor record in women’s pole vault with 4.10m in one of her previous attempts. The indoor record of 4.02m was held by Vakharia Khyati, which she set in 2017.
Baranica Elangovan cleared 3.80m and 3.90m in her first two attempts. She failed to clear the 4.00m in her first try but got past the mark in her second try.
The Tamil Nadu-born athlete then cleared 4.10m to set a new indoor national record and then shattered the outdoor national record with a 4.22m jump. She tried clearing the 4.25m but failed during all three attempts.
Earlier, Elangovan also cleared the Asian Games 2026 qualifying mark and clinched the gold medal at the Indian Open Jumps Competition 2026 in Bengaluru on March 15.
She recorded her best of 4.10m, meeting the Athletics Federation of India’s (AFI) entry standard in women’s pole vault for the Asian Games.
However, despite breaching the mark, Baranica Elangovan is not guaranteed a spot in the Indian squad for the upcoming Asian Games, according to the AFI’s criteria, which has a requisite of player’s to participate in a minimum of three domestic tournaments, including a mandatory participation in the State Championship.
Kerala’s Blessy Kunjumon and Mariya Jaison clinched the silver and bronze medals on Tuesday, with best leaps of 3.95m and 3.80m, respectively.
1st National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026: Women’s Pole Vault (Results)
- Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) – 4.22m
- Blessy Kunjumon (Kerala) – 3.95m
- Mariya Jaison (Kerala) – 3.80m
- Sindhushree G (Karnataka) – 3.80m
- Vanshika Ghanghas (Haryana) – 3.80m
- Bhavya Jain (Madhya Pradesh) – 3.60m
- Pavithra Venkatesh (Tamil Nadu) – 3.60m
- Deepika A (Tamil Nadu) – 3.40m
- Akshaya M (Kerala) – 3.00m
- Archana Singh (Uttar Pradesh) – DNS
- Karthika V (Tamil Nadu) – DNS
- Baje Nagma Ravind (Maharashtra) – DNS
- Babita Patel (CISF) – DNS
- Arsha Babu Kodakkan (BSF) – DNS
Who won the women’s pole vault event at 1st National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026?
Tamil Nadu’s Baranica Elangovan clinched gold in the event with a National Record timing of 4.22m.
What record did Baranica Elangovan set in women’s pole vault at 1st National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026?
Elangovan shattered the outdoor National Record in the event, with a vault of 4.22m, surpassing the 4.21m record set by Rosy Meena Paulraj in 2022.
Who were the medallists in women’s pole vault at 1st National Indoor Athletics Championships 2026?
Gold: Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) – 4.22m; Silver: Blessy Kunjumon (Kerala) – 3.95m; Bronze: Mariya Jaison (Kerala) – 3.80m
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Farzan is a journalist at Khel Now covering Indian Olympic sports and kabaddi. With five years of experience working with major sports organizations like Chennaiyin FC, Dabang Delhi K.C., Rajasthan Royals, and Yuva Kabaddi Series, he brings diverse expertise. Farzan has covered two Olympics, one Commonwealth Games, and one Asian Games, making his knowledge of Indian sports broad and versatile.