Baranica made history on September 25 by becoming the first Indian, male or female, to win a pole vault medal at the Olympics, Asian Games or Commonwealth Games, and Russell believes the landmark achievement can be a springboard for bigger goals.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Baranica, who made her Asian Games debut here at Nagoya, shared the bronze with Polina Kazakhstan after both cleared a height of 4.15 metres. Japan\u2019s Misaki Morota (4.55 m) and China\u2019s Niu Chunge (4.50 m) won gold and silver, respectively.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Baranica\u2019s rather unexpected medal has injected new belief in her long-time coach Milber Bertrand Russell. \u201cThe next targets will be to consistently improve her personal best and move towards the 4.40-4.50m level. Beyond that, we want her to compete strongly at major international competitions and continue improving her position at the world level,\u201d said Russell in an interaction with SAI Media.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Basketball\u2019s loss was athletics\u2019 gain as it was Russell who coached Baranica to become a national level athlete. \u201cI am a pole-vaulter by chance and it was my coach who brought me to this level,\u201d said Baranica, whose best has been a 4.23 m, a national record until G. Sindhusree Ganesha broke it by clearing 4.25.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cNo one was expecting me to win a medal. I only wanted to improve my personal best but I ended up on the podium. At least I have opened India\u2019s account at the Asian Games and I thank my support team and family for this,\u201d said Baranica to SAI Media.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Baranica\u2019s Asian Games bronze has really fired up Russell. \u201cFor me, this medal is not the destination. It is the beginning of the next chapter for Baranica. We came to Nagoya with a realistic approach. We knew the competition would be very strong and that every athlete would be capable of performing at a high level.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cOur target was to take the competition one height at a time and focus on the process rather than thinking too much about the medal. We believed Baranica had the potential to fight for a medal, but we also knew that she had to execute well on the day. She showed a lot of fighting spirit and eventually won the medal,\u201d said Russell.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Russell feels Baranica\u2019s medal will help lift the status of pole vault in India. Among field events, pole vault, although very attractive, has largely remained in the shadows of javelin, discus or shotput.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cWhen Indian athletes start performing well at international competitions, people begin to notice the event. Baranica winning an Asian Games medal will hopefully encourage more young athletes, coaches, and academies to take up the event,\u201d says Russell.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Russell hopes Baranica\u2019s medal will also spur the Athletics Federation of India to garner better facilities and support from the government, that invests big monies on Olympic sports. \u201cWe still need better facilities, equipment, proper coaching, and more opportunities for young athletes to compete and develop.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
\u201cAs for Baranica, we need to make her stronger, improve her consistency in the approach and take-off, and develop her speed and power further. She also needs more experience at the highest international level,\u201d said Russell.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Russell hopes Baranica\u2019s medal will also spur the Athletics Federation of India to garner better facilities and support from the government, that invests big monies on Olympic sports. \u201cWe still need better facilities, equipment, proper coaching, and more opportunities for young athletes to compete and develop.<\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Also Read: <\/b> Special Cricket Stories<\/a><\/p>\r\n\r\n