The two athletes remained tied throughout the competition, recording the same number of failures at the 4.25m mark. This result represents a significant milestone for India, as it is the nation's first-ever medal in the pole vault event at the Asian Games. The gold medal was claimed by Japan's Misaki Morota, who cleared a personal best of 4.55m, while silver went to China's Chunge Niu with a jump of 4.50m.
A Career-Defining Achievement for Elangovan
While Elangovan's clearance of 4.15m fell slightly short of her personal best, it proved sufficient to secure a podium finish in a highly competitive field. The Tamil Nadu native has been in strong form throughout the 2026 season, having established herself as a consistent performer on the national stage. Earlier this year, she set a new national record of 4.22m at the National Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, before further improving that mark to 4.23m during the Indian Indoor Open Combined Events and Pole Vault competition in May.
Her successful campaign this year also included a gold medal at the 65th National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, where she recorded a clearance of 4.20m. These achievements highlight a remarkable recovery for the athlete, who faced a significant setback in 2020 when she sustained an ACL injury. Following an extensive rehabilitation process, she joined the Reliance Foundation High Performance Centre in Bhubaneswar in 2023, a move that has played a key role in her recent progression to the international podium.
