In Bhubaneswar, Tamil Nadu athlete Baranica Elangovan achieved a remarkable feat, setting a new national record in the women's pole vault event at the National Indoor Championships. She cleared a height of 4.22 meters on the opening day of the competition.
The 29-year-old Baranica, who had previously won three national outdoor championships, surpassed the earlier national record of 4.21 meters, which had been held by Rosy Meena Paulraj since 2022.
Before Baranica's achievement, there was no official national indoor record for women's pole vault, as this was the inaugural national championships.
Blessy Kunjumon (3.95m) and Mariya Jaison (3.380m), both from Kerala, finished second and third respectively.
Baranica's 4.22-meter jump now constitutes both the national indoor and overall record, and the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) is expected to ratify it. Officials from the National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) collected samples from her after the event, as required for record ratification.
Baranica further improved her national record, but failed three times when the bar was raised to 4.25 meters.
"I was focusing on the techniques and the runway approach. It worked for me, and I'm very happy with the results. I was mainly concentrating on the runway," said Baranica after her achievement.
She credited her coach, Milber Bertrand Russell, who has been with her since 2016, for her success.
Baranica, who shifted her base from Chennai to Bhubaneswar in 2023 and is currently with the Reliance Foundation High Performance Centre, had made a remarkable comeback after undergoing ACL surgery on her left leg in 2020.
"I also had ACL surgery in 2020, and it was reconstructed. After that, I underwent rehabilitation, which was quite challenging. There were ups and downs. Throughout this period, I experienced intermittent pain."
She noted that competing indoors is advantageous for pole vaulters because there is no impact from wind.
"Wind is a major factor in pole vaulting. If you are trying to clear a high pole and there is strong wind against you, it will be very difficult to move forward and successfully complete the final stride approaching the runway."
"However, indoors, there is no wind, which makes it easier. You can approach the runway more easily. This is an advantage for pole vaulters."
In other events, local athlete Sarun Payasingh won the men's long jump gold with a personal best of 7.80 meters.
The 25-year-old Payasingh beat Praveen Chithravel of Tamil Nadu, who holds the national record in triple jump, who was competing in the long jump event here.
Chithravel, representing JSW, made three attempts and finished with a best of 7.78 meters, earning him a silver. P David of Railways came in third with 7.69 meters.
"This is my first indoor competition, and winning gold is a significant achievement. I was focused on achieving my personal best, rather than winning a medal," said Payasingh, who has been recruited by Reliance.
Payasingh was born to a farmer in a village in Odisha's Kalahandi district. He is currently residing at the residential hostel attached to the indoor facility. He was previously at the Sports Hostel in Bhubaneswar from 2016 to 2024, after being identified during a talent scouting program at the district level.
"I competed in the School Nationals, and my PE teacher encouraged me to participate in the talent scouting program. I also played football earlier. I can also run 100 meters. I am also competing in the 60m hurdles here," he said.
Meanwhile, Shivaji Parashu Madappagoudra of Reliance became the first gold medallist of the championships, clocking 8 minutes and 09.88 seconds. Vinod Singh of Madhya Pradesh was second with a time of 8:16.93 seconds, while Rahul Kumar Verma of Chhattisgarh took the bronze, clocking 8:18.21 seconds.
NADA team arrives to collect dope samples
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The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) team has arrived here for the two-day event. Doping control officers were seen requesting athletes to proceed to the sample collection room inside the facility after their events.
The same facility will also host the 2028 World Indoor Championships.
Results:
Men:
800m: Mohammed Afsal (Air Force) 1:47.86 seconds, Kalyan JR (Karnataka) 1:53.98 seconds, Sayan Karmakar (West Bengal) 1:56.98 seconds.
3,000m: Shivaji Parashuram (Reliance) 8:09.88 seconds, Vinod Singh (Madhya Pradesh) 8:16.93 seconds, Rahul Kumar Verma (Chhattisgarh) 8:18.21 seconds.
60m Hurdles: Krishik M (Karnataka) 7.71 seconds, Rathish P (Reliance) 7.84 seconds, Muhammed Lazan (JSW) 8.00 seconds.
Long jump: Sarun Payasingh (Odisha) 7.80m, Praveen Chithravel (JSW) 7.78m, David P (Railway) 7.69m.
Shot put: Ravi Kumar (BSF) 17.17m, Adhish Ghildiyal (Uttarakhand) 16.92m, Balaji (Tamil Nadu) 16.74m.
Women:
3,000m: Priyanka C (Karnataka) 9:42.05 seconds, Kajal Rangnath (Gujarat) 9:44.01 seconds, Sushmita Tigga (Odisha) 10:22.30 seconds.
Shot put: Rekha (NCOE Patiala) 15.63m, Mayuri Arade (Karnataka) 9.15m.
Women U20:
Shot put: Dona Maria (Kerala) 13.35m, Khusboo (Haryana) 12.03m, Akhshaya GR (Tamil Nadu) 11.89m.
Pole vault: Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 4.22m, Blessy Kunjumon (Kerala) 3.95m, Mariya Jaison (Kerala) 3.380m.
Long jump: Anamika KA (JSW) 6.05m, Manisha Merel (Odisha) 6.04m, Sherin A (JSW) 5.92m.
Shot put: Ravi Kumar (BSF) 17.17m, Adhish Ghildiyal (Uttarakhand) 16.92m, Balaji (Tamil Nadu) 16.74m.
Women:
3,000m: Priyanka C (Karnataka) 9:42.05 seconds, Kajal Rangnath (Gujarat) 9:44.01 seconds, Sushmita Tigga (Odisha) 10:22.30 seconds.
Shot put: Rekha (NCOE Patiala) 15.63m, Mayuri Arade (Karnataka) 9.15m.
Women U20:
Shot put: Dona Maria (Kerala) 13.35m, Khusboo (Haryana) 12.03m, Akhshaya GR (Tamil Nadu) 11.89m.
Pole vault: Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 4.22m, Blessy Kunjumon (Kerala) 3.95m, Mariya Jaison (Kerala) 3.380m.
Long jump: Anamika KA (JSW) 6.05m, Manisha Merel (Odisha) 6.04m, Sherin A (JSW) 5.92m.
In other events, local athlete Sarun Payasingh won the men's long jump gold with a personal best of 7.80 meters.
The 25-year-old Payasingh beat Praveen Chithravel of Tamil Nadu, who holds the national record in triple jump, who was competing in the long jump event here.
Chithravel, representing JSW, made three attempts and finished with a best of 7.78 meters, earning him a silver. P David of Railways came in third with 7.69 meters.
"This is my first indoor competition, and winning gold is a significant achievement. I was focused on achieving my personal best, rather than winning a medal," said Payasingh, who has been recruited by Reliance.
Born to a farmer in a village in Odisha's Kalahandi district, Payasingh is currently residing at the residential hostel attached to the indoor facility. He was previously at the Sports Hostel in Bhubaneswar from 2016 to 2024, after being identified during a talent scouting program at the district level.
"I competed in the School Nationals, and my PE teacher encouraged me to participate in the talent scouting program. I also played football earlier. I can also run 100 meters. I am also competing in the 60m hurdles here," he said.
Meanwhile, Shivaji Parashu Madappagoudra of Reliance became the first gold medallist of the championships, clocking 8 minutes and 09.88 seconds. Vinod Singh of Madhya Pradesh was second with a time of 8:16.93 seconds, while Rahul Kumar Verma of Chhattisgarh took the bronze, clocking 8:18.21 seconds.
NADA team arrives to collect dope samples
===============================
The National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA) team has arrived here for the two-day event. Doping control officers were seen requesting athletes to proceed to the sample collection room inside the facility after their events.
The same facility will also host the 2028 World Indoor Championships.
Results:
Men:
800m: Mohammed Afsal (Air Force) 1:47.86 seconds, Kalyan JR (Karnataka) 1:53.98 seconds, Sayan Karmakar (West Bengal) 1:56.98 seconds.
3,000m: Shivaji Parashuram (Reliance) 8:09.88 seconds, Vinod Singh (Madhya Pradesh) 8:16.93 seconds, Rahul Kumar Verma (Chhattisgarh) 8:18.21 seconds.
60m Hurdles: Krishik M (Karnataka) 7.71 seconds, Rathish P (Reliance) 7.84 seconds, Muhammed Lazan (JSW) 8.00 seconds.
Long jump: Sarun Payasingh (Odisha) 7.80m, Praveen Chithravel (JSW) 7.78m, David P (Railway) 7.69m.
Shot put: Ravi Kumar (BSF) 17.17m, Adhish Ghildiyal (Uttarakhand) 16.92m, Balaji (Tamil Nadu) 16.74m.
Women:
3,000m: Priyanka C (Karnataka) 9:42.05 seconds, Kajal Rangnath (Gujarat) 9:44.01 seconds, Sushmita Tigga (Odisha) 10:22.30 seconds.
Shot put: Rekha (NCOE Patiala) 15.63m, Mayuri Arade (Karnataka) 9.15m.
Women U20:
Shot put: Dona Maria (Kerala) 13.35m, Khusboo (Haryana) 12.03m, Akhshaya GR (Tamil Nadu) 11.89m.
Pole vault: Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) 4.22m, Blessy Kunjumon (Kerala) 3.95m, Mariya Jaison (Kerala) 3.380m.
Long jump: Anamika KA (JSW) 6.05m, Manisha Merel (Odisha) 6.04m, Sherin A (JSW) 5.92m.
Shot put: Ravi Kumar (BSF) 17.17m, Adhish Ghildiyal (Uttarakhand) 16.92m, Balaji (Tamil Nadu) 16.74m.