Baranica Elangovan sets new benchmark in women’s pole vault

Bhubaneswar, May 2026 : Bhubaneswar Indoor Stadium has proved a happy hunting ground for Tamil Nadu’s pole vaulter Baranica Elangovan. Within a span of nearly five weeks, the 29 years old improved the national record twice. On both occasions the venue was Bhubaneswar’s Indoor Stadium.

On Sunday, Baranica Elangovan cleared 4.23m, to better her own national record of 4.22m set at the inaugural edition of National Indoor Athletics Championships held in the last week of March in Bhubaneswar. She crossed 4.23m on her third attempt. “It was another good day for me,” says Baranica of setting a new benchmark in women’s pole vault.

Baranica has shifted from Tamil Nadu to Odisha and practices at Bhubaneswar.

In the men’s heptathlon, Thowfeeq N of NCOE Trivandrum continued to surge ahead of his rivals. His gold winning points were 5350. He was leading on Day-One with 2943 points.

Kirthik Vasan S of Tamil Nadu won the men’s U20 heptathlon title with 4609 points.

Purnima Hembram of Odisha was winner of women’s pentathlon. She secured 3835 points. The women’s U20 pentathlon title went to Jaskiran Kaur of Uttarakhand. Her points tally was 3272.

Day-Two

Results

Men: Heptathlon: Thowfeeq N (NCOE Trivandrum) 5350 points, Usaid Khan (Army) 5288 points, Jashbir Nayak (Odisha) 5250 points.

Men: U20: Heptathlon: Kirthik Vasan S (Tamil Nadu) 4609 points, Jinoy Jayan (NCOE Trivandrum) 4518 points, Aryan Parkash (Madhya Pradesh) 4509 points.

Women

Pentathlon: Purnima Hembram (Odisha) 3835 points, Isha Chandra Prakash (Uttarakhand) 3671 points, Bidisha Kundu (West Bengal) 3600 points.

Women: U20: Pentathlon: Jaskiran Kaur (Uttarakhand) 3272 points, Priya (Haryana) 3133 points, Alfaz Kaur Grewal (Punjab) 3066 points.

Women: Pole vault: Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 4.23m (NR), Nitika (Madhya Pradesh) 3.90m, Blessy Kunjumon (Kerala) 3.90m.

EOM

Picture Caption: Baranica Elangovan improves her national pole vault record to 4.23m.

Press release by :
Athletics Federation of India