India’s 54-member robust contingent has Baranica Elangovan as the only Pole Vaulter, as she targets at turning into the primary Indian to win a medal on the match. The Pole Vault is historically ruled by means of the Chinese and Japanese athletes however Baranica could also be inching nearer, as she changed into the primary Indian girl to transparent the peak of 4m in April previous this yr.
She did not, on the other hand, have the most efficient of time over the last few months, having completed 3rd within the National Federation Cup Senior Athletics Championships and having didn’t medal on the National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships, however insisted she had her percentage. of apprehensive moments prior to the squad for the Asian Championships used to be introduced.
“I was extremely happy but at the same moment, I was feeling very nervous if I would make the Indian squad. I had not performed up to my expectations in the Federation Cup and National Inter-State Senior Athletics Championships. So, I was very worried if I would make the cut as I didn’t know which performances would be taken into consideration. I knew about my potential but ultimately it is your performance that does the talking and I had done well at the Indian Grand Prix 4 earlier this year,” Baranica said.
Martin Owens, Head Coach at Odisha Reliance Foundation Athletics High-Performance Centre, is enthused about her prospects. “Baranica is in with a shout in the women’s pole vault if she performs up to standard. She has jumped 4.10m twice already this year and looks good for pushing up into the 4.20m range and attacking the Indian national record,” Owens said.
“She has worked really hard after coming back from injury. The strength and conditioning team have worked really hard to get her in peak physical shape. Technically, she will be using a stiffer and longer pole,” Owens added.
Baranica, despite the fact that, has taken the learnings from the remaining two competitions. She has now began coaching with the real pageant pass bar to get a really feel of it and to triumph over her concern of having harm by means of it.
“After the Inter-State match, I began practising with the true bar. Earlier, I used to apply with the elastic bar. The explanation why for practising with the true bar is to get the thoughts tailored to it and in pageant mode. With the true bar, there may be all the time an opportunity of it hitting you once you have landed, which is why numerous athletes do not use that during apply. But I felt that it used to be necessary for me to triumph over that concern of having hit. I feel it is going to assist me hit the bottom operating from the primary bounce itself.”
Baranica’s personal best of 4.10m came at the Indian Grand Prix 4 in April this year in Bengaluru. The Indian national record stands in the name of another Odisha Reliance Foundation HPC athlete, Rosy Meena Paulraj, who cleared a height of 4.21m in 2022. Baranica has her sights set on that record now, clearing which at the Asian Athletics Championships should definitely put her in medal contention.
“I will look to clear 4.30m at the Asian Athletics Championships. I had set myself that target for the Federation Cup and the National Inter-State Athletics Championships too and I have done it in practice sessions. The challenge now is to replicate it in an actual competition.