Asian Games 2026: Gulveer Silver, Baranica Makes Pole Vault History

Gulveer Singh won silver in the men’s 10,000m and Baranica Elangovan made history with women’s pole vault bronze as India collected three athletics medals at the Asian Games 2026 on Friday. Manpreet Kaur added bronze in the women’s shot put during a productive evening for the Indian contingent.

Gulveer finished second in 28:29.38, behind Bahrain’s Birhanu Balew, who took gold in 28:27.51. Bahrain’s Albert Kipto completed the podium with bronze in 28:34.18. The result gave Gulveer back-to-back Asian Games medals in the 10,000m after his bronze at the previous edition in Hangzhou, and represented an upgrade to silver.

Baranica cleared 4.15m to take third place in the women’s pole vault. Her medal was India’s first in the pole vault at the Asian Games, making the result a landmark moment for the country in the event.

Historic pole vault bronze for Baranica Elangovan

Baranica’s route to bronze included first-attempt clearances at 3.85m and 4m before she went on to clear 4.15m. That final height secured her place on the podium and established a new Indian milestone in Asian Games pole vault competition.

National record holder Sindhushree Ganesh also competed in the women’s pole vault but did not register a valid clearance in her Asian Games debut. Sindhushree began at 3.85m and was unsuccessful in all three attempts, leaving her without a mark.

Baranica’s bronze stood out not only as an individual medal but also because no Indian athlete had previously won an Asian Games pole vault medal. Alongside Gulveer’s silver, it ensured India’s athletics programme had medals across both track and field events during the session.

In the women’s shot put, Manpreet produced her best effort of 17.17m on her fourth attempt to claim bronze. Krishna Jayashankar, the other Indian athlete in the event, finished fifth with a best throw of 16.57m.

Manpreet’s medal brought India’s athletics tally for the evening to three. Her fourth-round throw proved decisive in earning a podium finish, while Krishna also finished inside the top five in the same competition.

Other Indian results from the athletics programme

India also had athletes in sprint and combined-events action. In the men’s sprint semifinals, Animesh Kujur finished seventh in his heat in 10.38 seconds. Gurindervir Singh clocked 10.32 seconds to finish fifth in his heat. Neither athlete progressed to the final.

In the women’s heptathlon, Pooja placed sixth with 5,368 points and Anamika finished eighth with 5,234 points. Japan’s Yuri Tanaka won the gold medal with 5,920 points.

The evening’s headline remained the combination of Gulveer’s improved 10,000m medal and Baranica’s breakthrough in the pole vault. Gulveer’s second successive medal in the event underlined his continued presence among the Asian Games contenders, while Baranica’s 4.15m clearance delivered a first for Indian pole vaulting on this stage. With Manpreet also reaching the shot put podium, India ended the session with medals in distance running, pole vault and throwing.