Set priorities: Baranica says she has been focusing on getting her basics right.
| Photo Credit: BISWARANJAN ROUT
In a 2023 interview, Baranica Elangovan had insisted she was not chasing the National Record (NR), wary that dwelling on it could shift her focus away from the technical aspects of her training.
On Tuesday, at the inaugural edition of the National Indoor Athletics Championships in Bhubaneswar, that clarity paid off. The Tamil Nadu vaulter cleared 4.22m in the women’s pole vault final to break the NR and also register a Personal Best (PB), surpassing the mark held by Statemate Rosy Meena Paulraj.
The breakthrough followed a series of near misses, with Baranica saying she had attempted to break the record at least five times before finally succeeding.
“I’m very happy. I have been focusing on my technique rather than just performance. I’m not thinking about whether I can clear a height or not. I just wanted to listen and apply what I practice in training, and it has finally clicked for me,” Baranica told The Hindu.
Baranica attempted 4.25m thrice on the day but fell short, pointing to a lack of speed in her run-up. She added that she has not yet peaked this season, having consciously prioritised technical refinement. This approach has already brought consistency. Days earlier, she cleared 4.10m at the Indian Open Jumps to breach the Athletics Federation of India (AFI) qualification mark for the Asian Games.
“I’m solely focusing on getting my basics right. If I focus only on performance, technique suffers. When the technique is right, performance follows,” she said.
With the Asian Games scheduled for September and the Commonwealth Games set to begin in July, Baranica is also adapting to a more demanding domestic calendar.
“AFI wants athletes to be consistent. Earlier, we could pick competitions, but now we have to compete regularly. To take part in the Federation Cup in Ranchi in May, we need to compete in national meets before that,” she said.
The Mayiladuthurai native also reflected on her formative years alongside Rosy Meena and Pavithra Vengatesh. Training together until mid-2023, the trio formed a competitive unit that pushed each other to improve.
“We used to push each other. I was around the 3.80m mark then, and at National Championships, it would often be the three of us from Tamil Nadu competing for medals. It helped all of us improve,” she said.
At the Indoor Championships, Baranica opened with comfortable clearances at 3.80m, 3.90m, 4.00m and 4.10m before opting to attempt 4.22m directly — a decision shaped by both strategy and fatigue.
“After 4.10, I didn’t have a lot of stamina left. My coach, Milber Bertrand Russel, asked me to focus on execution and technique,” she said.
The execution held firm, and the long-standing record finally gave way.
Published – March 25, 2026 07:19 pm IST
