A few days before Baranica Elangovan was due to leave for Japan, there was still one question hanging over her Asian Games campaign: would her pole make it there?

On Friday, the 29-year-old cleared 4.15 metres to win bronze in the women’s pole vault, becoming the first Indian to win an Asian Games medal in the event. But getting the equipment that would carry her over the bar to Nagoya had been a struggle of its own.

The 4.30m pole was hardly something she could simply check in with her luggage. More than six or seven airlines were approached, emails were sent, and the answer kept coming back the same: their regulations allowed equipment only up to 3.40 metres. Baranica’s pole was 90 centimetres longer. “It was a big struggle,” said her coach Milber Bertrand Russell. “We tried more than six to seven airlines, we tried, sent emails. The problem was the length was too high.”

Story continues below.
Subscribe to see fewer ads.

The Athletics Federation of India then stepped in. “They explained to the airline officials that this is sports equipment and we are going to the Asian Games to represent our country,” Russell said.

Eventually, Japan Airlines agreed.

𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐁𝐀𝐑𝐑𝐈𝐄𝐑𝐒, 𝐑𝐄𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐇𝐈𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘! 👑⚡

Baranica Elangovan clears new heights to secure BRONZE in the Women’s Pole Vault final, clinching India’s first-ever medal in the discipline at a major international event! 🙌

— Sony Sports Network (@SonySportsNetwk) September 25, 2026

The clearance came a few days before Baranica’s departure. The poles would travel with her after all.

For pole vaulters, transporting their equipment is a familiar logistical headache. Thankfully for Baranica, the problem was solved before she left India. In Nagoya, she had another one to deal with: clearing the bar.

Her 4.15m clearance was below the 4.23m national record she set earlier this year, but it was enough to put her on the podium. She shared bronze with Kazakhstan’s Polina Ivanova, who also cleared 4.15m. Japan’s Misaki Morota won gold with a jump of 4.55m while Niu Chunge of China clinched silver after clearing 4.50m.

India’s Baranica Elangovan poses for a picture after winning bronze in the women’s pole vault at the Asian Games 2026, in Nagoya on Friday.

For Baranica, the medal carried the weight of a much longer struggle. She tore the ACL in her take-off leg in 2020 and spent years trying to rebuild her body and career. This year, she began finding her heights again, breaking the national record twice.

Story continues below this ad

On Friday, she needed two attempts to jump over 4.15m. She could not get over 4.25m, but by then the medal was secure.

“I’m really feeling happy that… I’m really happy that I was able to bring a medal for my country,” she said. “It’s my dream, actually, to change it, rewrite history, and I did it today.”

The pole had arrived in time. Baranica had done the rest.