India's athletics campaign at the 2026 Asian Games gathered pace on Friday with a blend of history, resilience and familiar reliability, as Gulveer Singh, Baranica Elangovan and Manpreet Kaur all delivered podium finishes at the Paloma Mizuho athletics stadium in Nagoya.
The standout moment came from Baranica, who soared into the record books by becoming the first Indian to win an Asian Games medal in pole vault. The 29-year-old cleared 4.15m to secure joint bronze with Kazakhstan's Polina Ivanova, a result that may not have matched her personal best but was enough to carve out a place in Indian athletics history. In a discipline that has long been an outlier for India, especially in the women's event, Baranica's medal represented more than a single competition result. It marked a breakthrough in an event where Indian athletes have rarely been part of the continental conversation.
Her achievement was part of a productive day for India in track and field, with the country collecting three medals from the discipline on day two of competition. Manpreet Kaur had earlier claimed bronze in the shot put, while Gulveer Singh once again underlined his status as one of India's most dependable performers on the international stage by taking silver in the men's 10,000m.
Gulveer's performance was not his fastest, nor even his best of the season, but it was another reminder of his remarkable consistency. The 28-year-old clocked 28:29.38 to finish second and improve on the bronze he won three years ago. In a sport where medals are often decided by timing, tactics and the ability to peak at the right moment, Gulveer has built a reputation for repeatedly delivering when it matters. His latest podium finish adds to a growing body of work that has made him one of the most reliable names in Indian athletics, even if his medal count still trails the profile of some of the country's biggest stars.
The timing of the 10,000m result also mattered because Gulveer remains in contention for more. He is scheduled to return to action over the next few days, beginning with the 1500m heats on Saturday, before the final and the 5000m. That prospect gives India another chance to add to its medal tally, and to see whether Gulveer can convert his endurance and consistency into further success across multiple distances.
Manpreet's bronze in the shot put came with a best effort of 17.17m in her fourth attempt. She finished behind China's Song Jiayuan, who won gold with 19.40m, and Zhang Linru, who took silver with 18.14m. Krishna Jayasankar also competed in the event and placed fifth with 16.57m, narrowly missing out on a medal but contributing to a strong Indian showing in the field events.
There were mixed fortunes elsewhere for India. Damneet Singh finished ninth in the hammer throw with 67.56m, while Praveen Kumar placed 11th with 65.24m. In the men's 100m, both Indian sprinters were eliminated in the semifinals, with Gurindervir Singh clocking 10.32 seconds and Animesh Kujur finishing in 10.38 seconds. The heptathlon also brought disappointment, as Pooja ended sixth with 5,368 points and Anamika A.K. was eighth with 5,234.
The sprint titles went elsewhere, with Thailand's Puripol Boonson producing a Games record of 9.90 seconds to win the men's 100m, becoming the only athlete in the competition to break the 10-second barrier. China's Chen Yujie was crowned the continent's fastest woman in 11.06 seconds.
India did, however, secure more encouraging progress on the track in the 400m, where Kiran Pahal and Prachi advanced to the women's final after clocking 53.44 and 53.46 respectively. Vishal T.K. also moved into the men's final with a time of 45.27, keeping alive India's hopes of further success in the one-lap events.
For India, the day was defined by contrast: disappointment in the sprints, solid progress in the combined events and throws, and a historic breakthrough in pole vault. But above all, it was a day that reinforced Gulveer's status as a dependable medal contender and elevated Baranica into the history books, giving Indian athletics both a landmark and a lift in Nagoya.