National Indoor Athletics Championships: Tamil Nadu’s Baranica Elangovan continued her remarkable run in the women’s pole vault, breaking the national record for the second time in just over a month at the Bhubaneswar Indoor Stadium on Sunday.
The 29-year-old cleared 4.23m on her third attempt to surpass her previous mark of 4.22m, which she had set at the inaugural National Indoor Athletics Championships at the same venue in late March. The Indoor Stadium has clearly been a favourable arena for the vaulter, who has now made Bhubaneswar her training base after moving from Tamil Nadu.
“It was another good day for me,” Baranica said after her record-setting effort, reflecting on her consistent improvement in recent weeks.
In the men’s heptathlon, Thowfeeq N of NCOE Trivandrum maintained his dominance to clinch the gold medal with a total of 5,350 points. Having taken the lead on Day One with 2,943 points, he stayed ahead of the competition to finish on top. Usaid Khan of the Army secured second place with 5,288 points, while Odisha’s Jashbir Nayak finished third with 5,250 points.
The men’s U20 heptathlon title went to Tamil Nadu’s Kirthik Vasan S, who accumulated 4,609 points. Jinoy Jayan of NCOE Trivandrum (4,518 points) and Aryan Parkash of Madhya Pradesh (4,509 points) completed the podium.
In the women’s pentathlon, Odisha’s Purnima Hembram emerged victorious with 3,835 points. Uttarakhand’s Isha Chandra Prakash (3,671 points) and West Bengal’s Bidisha Kundu (3,600 points) finished second and third respectively.
The men’s U20 heptathlon title went to Tamil Nadu’s Kirthik Vasan S, who accumulated 4,609 points. Jinoy Jayan of NCOE Trivandrum (4,518 points) and Aryan Parkash of Madhya Pradesh (4,509 points) completed the podium.
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In the women’s pole vault, Nitika of Madhya Pradesh and Kerala’s Blessy Kunjumon shared second place, both clearing 3.90m.