Bhubaneswar: Baranica Elangovan scripted history by clearing 4.22m to set a new national record and clinch gold on the opening day of the inaugural National Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar on Tuesday.
The Tamil Nadu athlete eclipsed the previous mark of 4.21m held by her statemate Rosy Meena Paulraj since 2022. The 29-year-old cleared the record height on her very first attempt, sparking jubilant celebrations with coach Milber Russell, who has mentored her for the past eight years.
Russell credited Baranica’s improved runway speed for the breakthrough performance, adding that she achieved the feat despite using a lower-resistance pole. He expressed confidence that transitioning to higher-resistance poles would help her push beyond 4.30m in upcoming competitions.
Baranica had already shown strong form earlier this season by winning the Indian Open Jumps meet in Bengaluru with a 4.10m effort, also breaching the Asian Games qualifying mark set by the Athletics Federation of India. Her focus now shifts to securing a berth at the upcoming Asian Games, which would mark her debut at the continental stage.
“I’ve been trying hard to cross 4.20m and today everything clicked,” Baranica said after the event. She later attempted 4.25m but could not clear the height.
Elsewhere on the opening day, Sarun Payasingh of Odisha claimed gold in men’s long jump with a personal best of 7.80m, edging past Tamil Nadu’s Praveen Chithravel, who settled for silver with 7.78m. In another highlight, Mohammed Afsal set a new indoor national record in the men’s 800m, clocking 1:47.86s.
Source: Sportstar, Odisha Sports
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