Two National Records Fall in Bhubaneswar as Baranica Elangovan and Kuldeep Kumar Shine
Historic Weekend for Indian Athletics in Bhubaneswar
The inaugural Indian Open Combined Events and Pole Vault Competition at Bhubaneswar Indoor Stadium turned into a record-breaking spectacle, with two national records falling in pole vault across men’s and women’s categories.
Baranica Elangovan and Kuldeep Kumar emerged as the standout performers, rewriting the record books in a memorable weekend for Indian athletics.
Baranica Elangovan Breaks National Record Again
Bhubaneswar continues to be a lucky venue for Baranica Elangovan. The 29-year-old Tamil Nadu pole vaulter set a new national record of 4.23m, improving her own mark of 4.22m set just weeks ago at the same venue.
She cleared the record height on her third attempt, underlining her growing consistency and confidence.
Having recently shifted her training base to Bhubaneswar, the move appears to be paying dividends as she continues to scale new heights in Indian women’s pole vault.
Women’s Pole Vault Results
- Baranica Elangovan (Tamil Nadu) – 4.23m (NR)
- Nitika (Madhya Pradesh) – 3.90m
- Blessy Kunjumon (Kerala) – 3.90m
Kuldeep Kumar Sets New Men’s National Record
On Day One, Kuldeep Kumar delivered a breakthrough performance, clearing 5.41m on his first attempt to set a new men’s national record.
He surpassed the previous mark of 5.40m held by Dev Kumar Meena and also improved the national indoor record of 5.30m set earlier this year.
Interestingly, this was Kuldeep’s first indoor competition, making the achievement even more remarkable.
Men’s Pole Vault Results
- Kuldeep Kumar (Madhya Pradesh) – 5.41m (NR)
- Reegan G (Tamil Nadu) – 5.25m
- Dev Kumar Meena (Madhya Pradesh) – 5.20m
Kuldeep later attempted 5.46m but was unable to clear the height. However, his performance sets a strong tone for the upcoming outdoor season.
Strong Performances in Combined Events
Beyond pole vault, the competition also witnessed intense battles in combined events.
Men’s Heptathlon
- Thowfeeq N (NCOE Trivandrum) – 5350 points
- Usaid Khan (Army) – 5288 points
- Jashbir Nayak (Odisha) – 5250 points
Thowfeeq maintained his lead from Day One to clinch gold with a consistent performance across events.
U20 Men’s Heptathlon
- Kirthik Vasan S (Tamil Nadu) – 4609 points
- Jinoy Jayan (NCOE Trivandrum) – 4518 points
- Aryan Parkash (Madhya Pradesh) – 4509 points
Women’s Pentathlon
- Purnima Hembram (Odisha) – 3835 points
- Isha Chandra Prakash (Uttarakhand) – 3671 points
- Bidisha Kundu (West Bengal) – 3600 points
U20 Women’s Pentathlon
- Jaskiran Kaur (Uttarakhand) – 3272 points
- Priya (Haryana) – 3133 points
- Alfaz Kaur Grewal (Punjab) – 3066 points
Bhubaneswar Emerging as India’s Indoor Athletics Hub
The Bhubaneswar Indoor Stadium has now witnessed back-to-back national records, highlighting its growing importance in India’s athletics ecosystem.
With top athletes delivering peak performances, the venue is quickly becoming a preferred training and competition hub.