Nagoya, September 26, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Baranica Elangovan’s Asian Games bronze medal in women’s pole vault was built on years of perseverance, parental faith and her coach’s belief in her talent, despite facing criticism when she first took up the sport.
The 24-year-old Indian cleared 4.20m in Nagoya to secure a podium finish. Her journey had included an ACL injury in 2019, but she continued pursuing pole vault despite concerns raised by people in her village.
“I come from a village. When I started, I underwent ACL surgery after an injury while vaulting in 2019. At that time, everyone was telling my parents, ‘Why let a girl take part in Pole Vault? This event is quite risky. If something happens to her, no one will marry her.’ They were talking behind our backs,” Elangovan said.
She recalled how her parents stood by her and supported the faith shown by her coach.
“But my mum and dad believed in me. They spoke clearly with the coach, and my coach believed in my talent. He told them, ‘She’ll be able to do more than you think. She’ll definitely shine in sport.’ They believed him, and I want to thank them too, because they didn’t listen to others; they believed in me,” she added.
The significance of the bronze was heightened by the fact that Elangovan initially did not realise she had secured a medal. With a Kazakhstan athlete also finishing tied for third, she only learned that she was on the podium after a teammate informed her.
“I didn’t believe I’d won the medal. My colleague came up and said, ‘You were at the bronze, you won it.’ There was another athlete sharing the bronze, the Kazakhstan athlete. My colleague told me that I was tied at third for the Bronze medal. Only after that did I find out. I was aiming for a PB (Personal Best), but I actually got the medal,” she said.
Elangovan also credited the Athletics Federation of India for ensuring her pole could be transported to Japan and for arranging a preparatory camp at Sugupa University a week before the Games.
She said the camp helped her adapt to the local environment, timings, food and recovery arrangements.
“It was only because of them that I could win this medal,” she said.
Elangovan dedicated her Asian Games bronze to her coach, Milber Bertrand Russell.
“I’m dedicating this to my coach, Milber Bertrand Russell,” she said.
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